Palace of the Wolves
by Daphne Li
Summary: Syaoran has been back for two months, when he is suddenly called back to Hong Kong, leaving Sakura hearbroken. Then her class is chosen to go on an Exchange Trip to Hong Kong! What will happen? R R! S S, E T, M T. *Finished!*
1. Default Chapter

Daphne: "Hi! I am so glad to be writing again! Well, I will keep this short. I just want to remind you that CCS does not belong to me…it belongs to Clamp. Other than that, there is nothing I have to tell you, so enjoy the story! By the way…S+S, T+E, and M+T, ALL THE WAY! Yah!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 1.  
  
  
  
It has been two months since the capture of the void card, and Sakura finally had her life back in order…or so she thought.  
  
"Sakura! I have a knew outfit for you to try on!" Tomoyo exclaimed, as Sakura walked into the classroom. The auburn haired, emerald eyed girl who turned to look at Tomoyo, smiled.  
  
"Another one? Tomoyo, what is the point? Those days are over and…"  
  
"Oh, I know, but it is so much fun to dress you up!" Tomoyo giggled. Sakura sweat dropped and then turned to look at the person who had just entered the classroom.  
  
"Syaoran!" Sakura cried, giving him a quick hug. Syaoran gave her one of his smiles.  
  
"Hello, Sakura!" He said, putting down his book-bag and going over to talk with Yamazaki.  
  
"SAKURA! TOMOYO!" Came a chorus of voices. Sakura and Tomoyo turned and smiled at the three girls walking towards them.  
  
"Good morning Chiharu! And you Rika and Naoko!" Sakura called. Tomoyo sent them a wave and then the five girls began to talk.  
  
"All right, class, settle down. I have a few announcements to make." Terada Sensei announced. All the students scrambled to their seats. "Now, your book reports are due next Friday, and I will not accept them late. Also, the school is having a drawing…no word on what the prize is. I believe that is all…wait! Syaoran Li? I have a note here, for you…" Terada Sensei said, holding out a piece of paper. Syaoran looked surprised, but he calmly walked up to the front, took the paper, and read, his face growing steadily paler. When he was through, he whispered something urgently into Terada sensei's ear and then hurried to the back of the room, grabbed his book- bag, and rushed out of the room. Stunned students turned to Terada for answers.  
  
"I am sorry, but it seems that Syaoran Li has been called back to Hong Kong on an urgent family emergency." With that, Terada turned back to the blackboard and began to write. Emerald eyes filled with tears, and Sakura worked hard to blink them back.  
  
"Syaoran…"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Hong Kong, a week later*  
  
"…But why won't the elders let you go back?"  
  
"Because you are still too sick, Ellie!" Syaoran answered, squeezing the small hand that rested in his own.  
  
"Oh, that is just ridiculous! It is only a silly cold! They are making a big deal out of nothing!" Ellie scoffed.  
  
"That is a 'nothing' that has left you unconscious for a whole week!"  
  
"I still think that they should let you go back Xiao-lang! *Sigh* I am making so much trouble for you!"  
  
"No you are not, Nora!" Syaoran insisted. The girl, Ellie or 'Nora', laughed softly.  
  
"You are far too good to me! Oh! Good afternoon, Wei!" Ellie called, as Syaoran's butler walked into the room with two trays of food. Wei smiled at the girl laying in the bed.  
  
"Lunch time!" He announced. "Master Shaoran…your mother would like me to tell you that you and mistress are to accompany her to the 'summer' Palace next week. She is expecting a class of Japanese students, and they are coming in two weeks. They will be staying for…a month."  
  
"WHAT!?" Syaoran and Ellie exclaimed in shock. Wei gave them an apologetic smile.  
  
"I am sorry, Master. It is your mother's choice." Wei apologized, quickly exiting the room.  
  
"Well, at least Meiling will probably be with us…" Ellie commented.  
  
"Great! This is just great! First they force me to stay home for another month, and now a class of Japanese students will be infesting my 'summer get-away' Palace! What next?!" Syaoran cried, throwing his arms up in the air.  
  
"Oh, by the way…" Wei stuck his head back into the room. "…Master Eriol is to be joining you there!"  
  
"UGH!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Tomeda, Japan, Approx. the same time*  
  
"I can't believe he left without saying goodbye!" Sakura whispered, as Tomoyo tired to comfort her. They were sitting listlessly in the classroom, waiting for Terada to come in.  
  
"I am sure that he will be back soon!" Tomoyo soothed. Just then, Terada entered the room, looking exited. Tomoyo quickly made her way to her seat.  
  
'Syaoran! You promised that you would never leave her again! What happened?" Tomoyo thought.  
  
"Class, in your seats…quickly now!" Terada Sensei waited patiently and then started. "You all remember me mentioning the drawing that the school was doing? Well, they have finally announced who won! Our class did! And as a reward, we are going on a month-long exchange trip. We will go to school there, and live in that culture for a full month, all expenses paid, unless you wish to have a souvenir or two! Now, we will be leaving in two weeks and our destination is…Hong Kong!" Shrieks and cheers of delight filled the room.  
  
"Hong Kong! That's where Syaoran is!" Naoko cried, looking over at Sakura.  
  
"But Hong Kong is so big, there is little chance of our meeting Syaoran." Terada commented. Then he silenced the class for their lessons.  
  
'Hong Kong! Maybe…just maybe I will see him!' Sakura thought, staring out the window and letting her thoughts wander.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Clothes, snacks, books, CD's, CD player, rollerblades, Cards…" Tomoyo ticked off the things on her fingers while Sakura pointed to the things.  
  
"Kero!" Kero called, popping out of Sakura's carry-on luggage.  
  
"Check!" Sakura joked.  
  
"Camera!" Tomoyo cried, pulling the video camera out of her luggage. Sakura sweat dropped and then smiled weakly.  
  
"Check." She meekly answered. A flight was announced and Tomoyo gasped.  
  
"That's us!" She cried, picking up her things and hurrying to the gate. She and Sakura got there before anyone else, so they got their pick of seats. They sat on the left side, directly over the wing. Sakura sat next to the window, while Tomoyo took the seat next to her. They watched as other students and chaperones boarded. Suddenly, Sakura caught sight of someone she knew all too well.  
  
"Touya! What are you doing here?!" Sakura exclaimed, as her brother came down the isle. He grinned slyly at her.  
  
"I am a chaperone, kaiju!"  
  
"I am not a monster!" Sakura cried, leaning over and stomping on his foot. Soon, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Rika, and Naoko entered the plane. Chiharu and Yamazaki took up all three seats in front of Sakura and Tomoyo, and Naoko came and sat in the isle seat next to Tomoyo. Rika and Terada sat in the seats just behind Sakura, Tomoyo and Naoko.  
  
"Passengers, welcome aboard flight 861, non-stop to Hong Kong. Please fasten your seat-belts; we will be taking off shortly." Came a voice over the speakers.  
  
"Here we go!" Tomoyo shrieked, holding Sakura's hand tighter in excitement.  
  
'Yes, here we go.' Thought Sakura, smiling slightly.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They will be here tomorrow." Meiling commented, putting down the book she was reading and looking over at Eriol. He smiled at her.  
  
"I am sure they will be. But I highly doubt that they will get a very warm welcome from Syaoran." Eriol commented, looking around the massive library that they were sitting in. It had bookshelves built into the wall, and all the way up to the ceiling, which couldn't have been less than thirty to fifty feet high. There were several levels of walkways, twining around the room, and ladders that led to every level. (a/n: If you have ever seen the animated Beauty and the Beast, the library is almost exactly like the Beast's!)  
  
"Eriol, have you seen Syaoran?"  
  
"Oh, Meiling! You are looking so kawaii today!"  
  
"What books are you reading?"  
  
"I want to read a book!" Came the voices of Syaoran's four older sisters, Fanren, Fuutie, Feimei, and Siefa. Meiling and Eriol grinned at each other.  
  
"No, thanks, a new one, and that is fine with me!" Meiling said, answering all questions are once while Eriol sneaked out of the room. Yelan was standing outside the library, smiling slightly.  
  
"So, you lived through the bombardment! Where is Meiling?"  
  
"The brave soul perished in the battle!" Eriol answered, his eyes twinkling. Yelan's smile grew.  
  
"It was that bad?"  
  
"Well, the attack was better than usual! I think that they are saving compliments for the Japanese students coming tomorrow!"  
  
"God forbid!" Yelan chuckled, turning away, and walking down the hall. Eriol smiled, but suddenly, the smile froze on his face. He felt something. A strange aura that he had never felt before. Then, it was gone!  
  
"What was that?" Eriol wondered, as he quickly followed Yelan.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A white, misty figure floated next to the place where Eriol had stood.  
  
"He has magic! Perhaps he can help us!"  
  
"Do not trust him so soon. We don't know who he is." Another white figure appeared next to the first.  
  
"But what do we have to loose! We know Yelan's family! They all have magic too! The good kind!"  
  
"But we are waiting for a specific person! When that person comes, then we can show ourselves."  
  
"What about that new girl. The one that has been sick." The first asked.  
  
"Perhaps. There…there is something different about her." The second mussed. Suddenly, there was a stir in the air behind them.  
  
"When they come, I am most certainly going to hide in my room as much as possible." A black haired girl announced.  
  
"Well, you can't hide forever! And what about our lessons, Meiling?" Her companion asked.  
  
"I will come out for our lessons, of course, Ellie! But then, it is off the royal hiding place!" The black haired girl, Meiling giggled. The other, Ellie, joined in.  
  
"Hurry! They will see us!" Hissed white figure number two. With that, the two figures disappeared just as the two girls glanced their way.  
  
"What was that?" Ellie asked. Meiling shrugged.  
  
"I didn't see anything. You are getting paranoid, Ellie!" Meiling said, leading her friend down the hall.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
D.L:  
  
Daphne: "So…what did you think? I know that it is confusing, but it will get better. You might be wondering who 'Ellie' is. Well I will give you a hint. This is just her nickname, and she is very close to Syaoran! He sometimes calls her 'Nora' also. And the white figures! Who are they? Well, let's just say that they have been watching the Li family and Ellie, closely! Are you even more confused? Then read the next chapter! I hope that you liked this, and I hope that you will review! 


	2. Ellie Unvailed!

Daphne: "Hi-Ho! I am really happy today, because my school gets a three day weekend—starting tomorrow! Yippee! Anyway, I plan to spend a lot of time on the computer, so I should get a lot of chapters posted. (This is a SHOULD not a WILL so don't quote me on this.) Anyway, I really hope that you like it!  
  
Kero: "Daphne! Hurry! I want pudding!"  
  
Daphne: *sigh* "Kero, for once could you ignore your hunger…?"  
  
Kero: "No."  
  
Daphne: *sweat drop* "On with the story…"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 2.  
  
  
  
"Oh! This airport is so big!" Sakura gasped. Tomoyo nervously took Sakura's hand, and they followed their class to a very well-dressed man standing near a private exit.  
  
"The class of Terada, I presume?" The man said, looking around at all of them. Terada Sensei nodded and the man smiled.  
  
"Good. Then follow me, please." He lead them out the private door and to a large tour-bus. It had two seats in a row, and then and isle and then two more seats. The bus was equipped with TV's and a VCR, if they wanted to watch movies. It also had a small fridge with drinks in it. When the bus started to leave, all the students flocked to the TV to see what channels it got and what movies the bus had to watch.  
  
"Kawaii!" Tomoyo cried, recording the whole bus, and the awed students looking around at it.  
  
"Sakura, look! Personal cup holders!" Chiharu cried.  
  
"Did you know that the cup holder was originally…" Yamazaki began, but stopped abruptly when Chiharu hit him upside the head. Tomoyo and Sakura sat next to each other, while Terada sensei sat beside Rika, and the two were talking quietly. Chiharu and Yamazaki sat across from Sakura and Tomoyo and watched the movie. Naoko had a seat all to herself.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Naoko's POV*  
  
'Why am I always the loner? I mean, Sakura and Tomoyo are best friends, and then Chiharu and Yamazaki are inseparable, and then there is Rika and Terada Sensei, but where does that leave me? Why am I always alone?!'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Normal POV*  
  
Sakura smiled at something that Tomoyo had said, and then looked out the window. The bus was making its way through a dense forest. The sun was shinning brightly, filtering through the tall trees and making little patches of light appear on the forest floor. Sakura smiled again and then let her mind wander back to what Terada Sensei had told them about the place that they were staying in.  
  
*Flashback*  
  
"Where are we going to stay, Terada Sensei?" Naoko asked.  
  
"Well, they said it was a place called 'The Palace of the Wolves'." Everyone smiled at the name.  
  
"It they call it 'The Palace of the Wolves', it must be a really nice place." Chiharu commented.  
  
"Not necessarily. The last time I stayed in a hotel with such a nice name, it turned out of be a horrid place." Naoko countered.  
  
"I wonder what it is like." Tomoyo mussed.  
  
"I just hope that the scenery there is pretty." Sakura said wistfully.  
  
*End of Flashback*  
  
"It sure is." Sakura commented, still looking out at the forest. They had been traveling for about an hour when they suddenly turned onto a half- hidden road. They traveled deeper into the forest for about twenty more minutes, then…  
  
"Passengers, if you will look out the right-hand windows, you will see the 'Palace of the Wolves' come into view soon." The driver announced. Everyone flocked over to the windows to see the building. A unified gasp rose up from the whole group.  
  
"That is a real palace!" Tomoyo cried.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"So what is the agenda for today?" Syaoran asked, finishing his breakfast. Yelan looked up from her meal and smiled.  
  
"All you have today is training." She answered. Syaoran frowned.  
  
"Then what?"  
  
"Then you will come and meet the students. I am going out this morning, so Martin will show the students to their rooms. I have had the rooms specially made over for every student."  
  
"What? But mother…there are a lot of students, ne?" Syaoran asked, slipping into Japanese. Yelan gave a dainty shrug.  
  
"Only twenty-seven, plus a few chaperones. A few of the students will get rooms in your wing, but most of them will be in the east wing." She answered. Ellie noticed that Yelan's eyes twinkled, but she said nothing, knowing that even if Yelan had something up her sleeve, she would not tell them. So Ellie simply smiled.  
  
"Syaoran, we had best be getting to the training grounds. Meiling…" Ellie whispered as she walked by Meiling's chair. "…would you kindly stay here and monitor Fanren, Fuutie, Feimei and Siefa while we are gone?" Meiling nodded and then smiled at the older girls.  
  
"Auntie, I think that I will stay here while they go to the training grounds…"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"This way, please!" The well-dresses man called, leading them into the palace and up a flight of stairs. "Now, Mistress has selected rooms for everyone. If you will just enter the room that I indicate, when I call out your name? Yamazaki, first door on the left. Terada, first on the right…" The man read through the names. When Touya's name was called, he shot a regretful glance at Sakura and then entered his room. The man looked at the two girls still following him and smiled.  
  
"Ah! You must be the two that Mistress told me about. Your rooms are in a different wing. Please, follow me!" Sakura and Tomoyo looked at each other in confusion, but said nothing. They walked down a long hall, through a room and then down another hall. Finally they stopped at a door and the man pushed it open and led both girls in.  
  
Pink and white. That was the color of the room they walked into. It had pink walls with white trim, it had a white four-poster bed with pink draperies and comforter. There was one whole wall of glass windows, covered with sheer white curtains embroidered with pink cherry blossoms. The furniture was all different shades of pink and white.  
  
"This is your room, Sakura!" Tomoyo whispered, her eyes sparkling. Then the man opened another door and led them into a huge white and gold bathroom, and then he opened another door and led them into another room.  
  
This one had purple walls with white trim, white four-poster bed with light purple draperies and comforter. The curtains were sheer white embroidered with a sweet purple flower that they couldn't name. The furniture was white and different shades of purple.  
  
"You may put your things away, and then meet me out here in fifteen minutes to re-join your fellow students." The man said, leaving the room. Sakura helped Tomoyo put her things away, and then they went to Sakura's room to do the same thing. When they were finished, Sakura noticed that there was a glass door that led outside, concealed behind the curtains to her room.  
  
"Tomoyo, look! A door." Sakura pointed and Tomoyo went over to get a better look.  
  
"Sakura, come look what it leads to!" Tomoyo cried, unlocking the door and pushing it open. Sakura followed her out and they found themselves on a big white balcony! Sakura gave a squeal of delight.  
  
"Look Tomoyo! You have one too!" She cried, rushing over to the railing and looking down. Below the balcony lay a beautiful courtyard, with three fountains, lots of flowers, and one…Japanese Cherry tree! Sakura caught her breath and stared at that tree, smiling.  
  
"Oh no! Sakura! Look at the time!" Tomoyo cried. She and Sakura hurried back into the room, just as the well-dressed man came back in.  
  
"Hurry, girls! Master is coming soon, and he will want to meet you!" Then the man led them out of the room and back to their classmates.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Syaoran whipped sweat from his brow and faced his opponent, his sword drawn. The man attacked a Syaoran quickly countered with first a side- swipe, and then a top-cut. His opponent faltered, and Syaoran lost no time in brining the man to the ground. The man smiled.  
  
"Well done, Master Shaoran. That is all for today, you are excused." The man bowed to him and then exited the ground. Syaoran watched as Ellie came running into the arena, her hair wet and newly washed.  
  
"Are you done? I finished fifteen minutes ago and had time to take a quick shower. Mon (jeez) they work us hard! I don't know how you put up with it for nine full years!" Ellie exclaimed. Syaoran chuckled.  
  
"Practice!" He answered, ducking into a small shower-room. He was done with his shower in five minutes and replaced his training clothes for the clean ones hanging on a hook just outside the shower-room. When he emerged, Ellie was still waiting for him, her long, wavy chestnut hair now air-dried and smelling of rose hips and lavender. Her icy-blue eyes twinkled at him as she smiled.  
  
"Meiling and Eriol are waiting just over there." She informed him, pointing to a bench not far away.  
  
"Meiling is back?"  
  
"Yah! She talked Fanren, Fuutie, Feimei and Siefa into going into town. They won't be back until dinner!" Ellie answered. They caught up to Meiling and Eriol and then the four of them started back to the Palace.  
  
"Ugh! Do we have to go? Can't we just leave them to their own devices?" Syaoran whined, as they walked down the path. Eriol chuckled.  
  
"You seem to have forgotten that they are going to be tutoring with us for the nest month, cute little descendant!" He reminded Syaoran. Syaoran snarled at him, but the two girls laughed.  
  
"You are going to pay for that, Hiiragizawa!" Syaoran hissed, taking off after Eriol. Eriol gave a shout of laughter and then sped away. The two girls looked at each other, shrugged, and helped Syaoran chase after Eriol.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Look Sakura! We are going to meet them in the courtyard!" Tomoyo cried, as the class entered into the courtyard. Immediately, Sakura walked over to the Cherry tree and sat down on a bench at the base of the tree. Everyone looked around in wonder.  
  
"Who owns this place?" Chiharu asked breathlessly. Yamazaki answered.  
  
"Whoever it is, they must be really rich! It must be some old man who hates children…"  
  
"Come back here you!" Shouted a voice, obviously a young girl's. Everyone looked over at Yamazaki and Chiharu giggled.  
  
"Hates children, huh?" She taunted. Then more young voices shouted out.  
  
"That wasn't fare!"  
  
"It was too, and even if it wasn't, you still wouldn't be able to catch me!"  
  
"Oh yes I can!" Shouted a the first girl's voice.  
  
"Go Meiling, go! You show him!" Another girl cried. Four figures came rushing down the path, two far ahead of the others. Those a blue-black haired boy and a black haired girl rushed by the class and straight into the arms of…Terada Sensei! Then the other two stopped short and started laughing hysterically.  
  
"Ter…Terada Sensei!" The girl everyone recognized as Meiling gasped.  
  
"This is interesting…" The first boy commented. Eriol's blue eyes flashed in good humor. Sakura stood up in shock. If Meiling and Eriol were here, that must mean that Syaoran was too! In fact, that must be him, laughing over there…  
  
Sakura's thoughts stopped short and she gasped. Syaoran never laughed like that! Not in front of his class, at least! And who was that beautiful girl that he was leaning against? A rush of jealousy rushed up into Sakura's heart.  
  
"I can't believe that you started this argument, Xiao-lang, but Meiling finished it!" A chestnut haired girl choked out ,leaning against the young man beside her.  
  
"Yah! And they ran right into Terada Sensei! I…TERADA SENSEI!?!?!" Shouted Syaoran, his eyes widening in horror. Everyone stared at the two in shock. Syaoran was in a Chinese style, green silk shirt and loose black silk pants. The girl beside him wore a light, flimsy blue satin dress that had a long skirt that reached to the ground. Its sleeves were loose around her arms and ended in a scoop at her wrists. She looked up at the pale Syaoran and worry entered her icy-blue eyes.  
  
"Xiao-lang…are you all right?" She asked, putting her hand on his arm. Suddenly, he began to smile.  
  
"Sakura!" He rushed over to Sakura and pulled her into a tight hug. "I have missed you so much! Wait! There is someone I want you to meet!" Syaoran exclaimed, breaking away from Sakura and running over to the chestnut haired girl.  
  
"Nora, these are my classmates from Japan! The ones I told you about!" At these words, the girl's face cleared and an exited flash entered her eyes.  
  
"Everyone, I would like you to meet the reason that I came back to Hong Kong. This is my twin sister, Ellanora!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
D.L.:  
  
Daphne: "Hi! I know that this sounds really lame now, but it gets better! I am sorry that I didn't mention the white figures in this chapter. I am hoping that I can tell you about them in the next one! Well, I really want to know what you think, so please review! 


	3. Secret Passages!

Daphne: "Hi! I will make this very short, because I want to hurry and finish this…"  
  
Eli: "Daphne! The show is coming on soon!"  
  
Daphne: *Sweat drop* "I'll be right there, Eli!"  
  
Eli: "Hurry! 'Private Kelly' is just about to be shipped off to Military School!"  
  
Daphne: "Thanks Eli! Well, I had better go! Enjoy." Runs out of the room "She hasn't gotten there yet, has she? That is my favorite part, you know…!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
"This is my twin sister, Ellanora!" At these words, everyone in his class gasped, and Tomoyo pulled out her video camera. Syaoran sweat dropped.  
  
"She is the reason that I left Japan in the first place. The Elders had been keeping her a secret from me, so I wouldn't turn out soft. They let her return to Hong Kong five months ago, from America." Syaoran explained. The girl, Ellanora smiled brightly.  
  
"Even our older sisters didn't know about me! It was kind of creepy, but I have known all my life, so it wasn't too hard for me to adjust." Ellanora said.  
  
"Are you joking?! Her first words to me were, 'You're Meiling? Wow! It would have been really weird if you had married my brother! Yuck!'" Meiling burst into laughter, and Ellanora blushed.  
  
"It would have been! Especially since I sensed right away that Syaoran had someone else!" Ellanora sent Sakura a sweet smile, and Sakura smiled back.  
  
"Syaoran, are you staying here too?" Sakura asked hesitantly. He sent her a big grin.  
  
"Of course! Where else would I go? This is my summer-home but we came up here to give Nora some fresh air. She has been really sick, you know." He smiled at his sister, who frowned back.  
  
"He is exaggerating! I just had a small cold!" She said, swatting Syaoran on the arm.  
  
"A 'small' cold that left you unconscious for a full week, may I remind you!" Stated a voice. Ellanora blushed and turned.  
  
"Really, mama! It wasn't that bad!" She insisted. Yelan Li smiled.  
  
"That, my dear, is a matter of opinion!" She chuckled. "…And this must be Terada Sensei's class." She looked around at them and spotted Tomoyo.  
  
"Tomoyo! What a surprise! And if Tomoyo is here, that must mean…" she looked around the crowd and then caught sight of the person beside Syaoran. "…Sakura is here as well!" She sent Sakura a smile, which Sakura quickly returned. Then Yelan turned to Terada.  
  
"Terada Sensei, if you and your class will follow me…lunch has been prepared." With that, Yelan turned and led them back into the house. Syaoran and Sakura were near the head of the line, talking quietly, while Tomoyo and Eriol followed them with identical sly smiles; Tomoyo was taping every minute of the two young Cardcaptors conversation! Meiling was a bit farther behind, talking animatedly with Rika, Yamazaki and Chiharu. Naoko was at the very end of the line, looking at her feet as she walked. Ellanora had spotted her and had stopped walking, waiting for her to catch up.  
  
"Hello!" Ellanora said softly, as Naoko came up beside her. Naoko looked up in surprise, but sent the girl a shy smile.  
  
"Hello." She whispered. Ellanora smiled.  
  
"I am Ellanora, but you can call me Nora. What is your name?"  
  
"I'm Naoko. Just call me…Naoko!" She joked, trying to hide her surprise that Nora was talking with her. Nora giggled.  
  
"Naoko! I like that name…Wait! I know you. You're the creative one. The one that likes to read and make up stories!" Nora said. Naoko blushed.  
  
"Well, I like to read and make up stories, but the real creative one is Tomoyo."  
  
"I know about her too! She makes dresses and costumes for everyone, and she loves to record her friends on her camcorder!" Nora laughed.  
  
"You sure know a lot about us, don't you?" Naoko asked, looking curious.  
  
"Syaoran is very observant!" Nora stated simply. Naoko felt confused. Since when did Syaoran take any interest in his classmates? Suddenly, there came a loud,  
  
"Gaki!"  
  
Everyone looked up to see Touya standing at the top of a staircase. Sakura quickly stepped forward.  
  
"Touya! Don't get mad. This is Syaoran's family's palace, and they have been nice enough to let us stay, so don't mess it up for us!" At these last words, the class burst into laughter, and even Yelan had to hide a smile behind her hand. Touya turned beet red, and joined his sister at the bottom of the stairs.  
  
"Don't worry, Touya! Syaoran will take good care of Sakura!" Meiling announced, coming up beside the irate young man and smiling up at him. He gave her a lopsided smile and then the class continued into the Dinning Hall.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Did you see that?!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"They have magic too! Especially that Sakura girl."  
  
"She may have magic, but magic is not what is going to help us! We need someone who can…"  
  
"I know! I know. We need someone who has the power to believe our story, and to help us figure out how to break this spell!" The irate white figure turned away from its companion and began to float away.  
  
"What?! Do you just want us to waltz right in there and announce that we need help? They will run away! They will scream! Syaoran is really the only one who we have shown ourselves to, and even he has forgotten about us!" The second reminded.  
  
"He was only four years old at the time. It wouldn't hurt to go to each one in turn and ask for help. Maybe one of them will find it in their hearts to help us!"  
  
"I doubt it, but you are right. We have to try. Starting with that…"  
  
"Wait! Why don't we do it in groups? Or better yet, why don't we show ourselves to them a little at a time?"  
  
"You do know that they are going to have nightmares, and we might even have to take them back into the past…"  
  
"Yes, I realize it! But they can handle it, I am sure!"  
  
"Suit yourself. Tonight, part one, only for the most in-tune individuals…nightmares!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Touya looked up from his supper, immediately alert. He felt a presence nearby, and it wasn't human.  
  
"Touya, what's wrong?" Asked Meiling, who was seated next to him. He frowned and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing." He answered. Then he noticed that Sakura, Syaoran, Eriol, and Ellanora were also looking alert. 'So…Kaijuu and Gaki sense something too.' He returned to eating his meal, but decided to stay alert, just in case. They were all seated in special seats during supper. Yelan sat at the head of the long table, while Syaoran, Sakura, Tomoyo, Eriol, Meiling and Touya all sat in that order, in the first six seats on Yelan's right. Nora, Naoko, Chiharu, Yamazaki, Rika and Terada all sat in the first six seats on Yelan's left. The rest of the class was seated accordingly along the rest of the table.  
  
Suddenly, the Dinning Hall's door slammed open, revealing five young women. Touya sweat dropped. It was the Gaki's four older sisters, and Eriol's older friend, Nakuru. Touya gave a groan, and waited for the sisters to administer their attack, but it never came.  
  
"Girls, this is the class we were expecting. Now that you have met them, I have some news for you. Kaho is going to have a baby, and she has invited all of you over to stay with her until it comes! Is that not exiting?!" Yelan asked. The five girls gave happy squeals, and then hurried upstairs to pack, completely forgetting about the people in the Dinning Hall. Sakura looked up at Yelan in shock, and then at Eriol.  
  
"Kaho is pregnant?" She gasped. Yelan and Eriol nodded, both smiling widely. Just after they had captured the 'Void' card, Eriol and Kaho had decided that they were not meant for each other. Kaho had moved to America, met an old flame, and gotten married, all within a few weeks.  
  
This news seemed to stun the students momentarily, but they quickly got over it.  
  
"Oh! We will have to send her a 'Congratulations' card!" Rika cried, her brown eyes sparkling. Everyone agreed, and the rest of the meal they talked about Kaho's baby.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
When supper was through, and they had filled themselves with desert, everyone said goodnight and went up to their rooms. Sakura and Tomoyo went to their rooms, and were shocked to find that they had been placed in the same wing as the Li family! Yelan said goodnight and then walked into her room. Meiling, Nora, Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, and Sakura walked slowly to their rooms, talking animatedly all the way.  
  
"Well, I had better go to sleep. I want to wake up early tomorrow, and you know how hard that is for me!" Sakura giggled, opening her door. Syaoran blushed and then smiled.  
  
"Sakura, if you need anything, I am right next-door." He walked into the room on Sakura's right and shut the door. Sakura blushed as well. She had been placed in the room right next to Syaoran's! Sakura quickly glanced at Tomoyo, but the other girl's eyes were trained on Eriol, who was entering the room right next to hers!  
  
"See you in the morning, or maybe even sooner!" Eriol called, his eyes twinkling. He walked into his room, and the four girls heard yelling coming from it.  
  
"Die! Die!"  
  
"Captain Ruath rules!"  
  
"Die, you temple dwellers!"  
  
Sakura and Tomoyo sweat dropped. Kero and Spinnel were playing video games again, and from the sound of it, they weren't ready to quit.  
  
"Our rooms are right over here." Nora said, pointing across the hall, then she got an idea. "Wait! Go into your rooms, and sit on the beds. Meiling and I have something to show you!" She quickly whispered into Meiling's ear, and then the two girls disappeared into their rooms. Sakura looked over at Tomoyo and shrugged her shoulders. Then they both went to do as they had been instructed. Sakura was sitting on her bed when she heard a door open. She looked over and saw the door of her wardrobe swinging open! (a/n: A Wardrobe is a sort of closet thing that holds cloths.) Sakura gave a shriek, at the same moment, Tomoyo shrieked in the other room. Suddenly, a head poked out of the wardrobe.  
  
"Sakura! I am sorry, I didn't mean to scare you!" Nora cried, hopping out of the wardrobe and walking over to Sakura. Sakura gasped.  
  
"How…how did you do that?" She whispered. Nora smiled.  
  
"Follow me!" With this, Nora led Sakura over to the wardrobe and climbed in. Then she pushed on a secret panel, which slid into the wall, leaving an opening just big enough for a large person to fit through. Nora climbed into this space, and motioned Sakura to follow her. They were in a dark tunnel now, and Sakura clutched to Nora's hand in fear. Nora squeezed back and led her down a short flight of wooden stairs and down another tunnel, and then up another flight of stairs. Then Nora turned to her right and pushed on a board that was sticking out of the wall. The section with the wall swung open, and revealed another bedroom! This room had white walls, and rose-colored trim. The four-poster bed was draped with rose-colored drapes and a rose-colored silk comforter. The sheer curtains were white, with little rose vines embroidered on them. All the furniture was white, with rose cushions and pillows. There was a white vanity across the room from the bed, and on it sat a pot of tiny, indoor roses. They were a delicate pink, and gave off a delightful smell.  
  
"This is my room." Nora said, looking happy.  
  
"So…that was a passageway from my room to yours? Has it always been there?" Sakura asked. Nora nodded.  
  
"Yes, they say that it has been there since this place was built. In fact, there are quite a few passages all over the castle. We have found quite a few, but I know that there are more to find."  
  
"There sure are. By the way, we have to get Syaoran to show us that one he found when he was little. It is such a blast to find them and see where they go!" Meiling commented, coming into the room with Tomoyo on her heals. "We just went through the one that connects my room to Tomoyo's. They are just the same, but it makes it kind of fun to sneak around at night, you know, visiting each other when we should be asleep!" Meiling crowed, grinning widely. The other three girls giggled.  
  
"But truthfully, we really must get to sleep. We have lessons tomorrow, if you haven't forgotten, Meiling!" Nora reminded them.  
  
"Yah, yah! Goodnight Ellie! Night' Sakura, Tomoyo." Meiling said, leaving the room. Tomoyo yawned and followed her. Sakura waved goodbye to Nora.  
  
"I just hope that Touya keeps his cool around Syaoran! I don't want him getting kicked out…actually, I wouldn't mind it…" Sakura said thoughtfully. Nora laughed.  
  
"Oh, Brother!" Nora exclaimed, hopping into bed. Sakura giggled.  
  
"My point exactly!" She laughed, turning off the light and shutting the door behind her.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They are all in bed!"  
  
"Good. It will not be long, now."  
  
"Are you sure that this is a good idea?"  
  
"This is the only way that we can show ourselves without scaring them spit- less. At least for right now, anyway."  
  
"Fine." The first sighed, and then the two white figures disappeared into the darkness.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
D.L:  
  
Daphne: "So…did you like it? Please R+R to let me know! Now you may want to know what the two figures are going to do, but I am sorry! You will have to wait until the next chapter. You may also wonder who these figures are, and that too, will have to wait until the next chapter! (Or maybe the one after that…) Anyway, Please R+R!!!!!!!!! 


	4. The Nightmare and Morning Training

Daphne: "Hello! I will make this short because I know that you are eager to read the story…"  
  
Kero: *snort* "Yah, right!"  
  
Daphne: "Ahem?! Anyway, I just want to remind you that CCS doesn't not belong to me, it belongs to Clamp! But please R+R anyway! I would really appreciate it! Well, on with the story!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 4.  
  
  
  
*Dream*  
  
"…you must be joking! Please tell me you are joking!" A shaky voice begged.  
  
"NO! I am not! It is true. You were never meant to live here in the first place you belong…" Another hissed, this voice much older.  
  
"But…if we don't belong here, then where do we belong, Mattock?" Asked another voice, sarcastically.  
  
"Not during this…" The voice paused. "They are coming for you!"  
  
"What do they want us for?" Asked the first voice.  
  
"They think we are witches, Landon! Just because of that stupid soothsayer…" The third hisses bitterly.  
  
"She was speaking the truth! She only told what she saw!" The second voice insisted.  
  
"Well what are we supposed to do about it now, Sorcerer Mattock?! They are going to kill us!" The third shouted.  
  
"I can put a spell on you. The people who save you will be of the time where you belong! But they must help you willingly, and this will not be easy."  
  
"Why?" The first asked, curious.  
  
"Because, you will only have the power that ghosts do. No more than that. You will be at the mercy of the mortal people until…" Outside there are shouts and crashes heard. The hiss of burning torches follow and cries of "Witch" and "Killers" are heard outside the room.  
  
"Hurry! We have no more time! We must work quickly. Go stand over there! Good, now close your eyes. This will be over before you know it!"  
  
There is a bright flash of light, and two figures can be seen. The whole room fills with light, and when it dissipates, the room is finally visible. Two bodies are lying on the floor, lifeless, and a third figure is crouching against a wall. Suddenly, the door bursts open, and a torch is thrown inside. "Witch! Killer! Give us our children back!" Came the shouts. Many armed men enter the room and look around, spotting the lone figure. They immediately gang up on him and…  
  
"AGHHHHHH!!!!!!" Came five simultaneous screams. Eight people sat up in their beds, horrified, and then three of them jumped out of bed and hurried into other bedrooms. Eriol hurried to Tomoyo's room, where the poor girl sat shaking violently in her bed. Touya had heard the scream in his corridor and hurried to see who it was. One of Sakura's friends, Naoko, sat in her bed, silently crying.  
  
"Naoko…come on. We are going to make sure everyone else is all right." Touya whispered, pulling the girl out of bed and leading her into the Li's wing. Touya felt a terrified aura, and immediately made his way into Ellanora's room with Naoko on his heals. A sobbing Meiling was already there, laying beside her shaking cousin. Naoko quickly hopped into Nora's bed and pulled the covers up to her chin, cowering beside the other girls.  
  
"Something is wrong…" Nora whispered. "They had the dream too." Touya nodded, and then felt for his sister's aura. It was strong and fearful, but another aura was there.  
  
"Gaki…" Touya mumbled.  
  
Sure enough, when Syaoran heard Sakura's scream, he rushed into Sakura's room, and found the girl sitting up in her bed and shaking. She turned haunted, tear-filled eyes towards him, and met his eyes.  
  
"The voices, Syaoran! The voices!" She sobbed. He climbed up on her bed and pulled her into his arms.  
  
"I know Sakura. I had the dream too."  
  
"What does it mean?" She asked shakily.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
"They had it too. Meiling, Eriol, and Tomoyo, Touya and Ellanora and…" Sakura gave a gasp as she felt a weak, but distinct yellow aura. "Syaoran! Naoko had the dream too! How could she…" Sakura wondered out-loud.  
  
"I have a feeling that this is going to involve her too, whether we want her or not. She must have some important purpose in this…" He mussed.  
  
"But what is 'this', exactly? What are we facing? I don't feel any evil…only sorrow." Sakura said, snuggling deeper into his arms.  
  
"I do too. I…I have felt it before, once when I was little. It reminds me of something…" He stopped as Eriol led a terrified Tomoyo into the room, by way of the bathroom.  
  
"Sakura…can we stay in here, tonight?" Tomoyo pleaded, tears still falling down her face. Sakura nodded, and watched as Touya, Ellanora, Meiling and Naoko entered the room as well.  
  
"I guess we are going to have a party, then." Syaoran said, as Nora and Naoko crawled in between Sakura and Tomoyo. The bed was so big, that it fit all six of them across it. Syaoran and Eriol, who were on the edges of the bed, pulled the blankets of Sakura's bed over them all. Touya grabbed an extra blanket and settled down at their feet.  
  
"I think that I will sleep in my own room, tonight." Meiling said shakily, and walked out of the room. She had realized that the only clear spot on the bed was next to Touya. They all watched her leave, and then tried to go to bed. It took them all quite a while to fall to sleep, and when they finally did, it was a very uneasy sleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They had the dream…now what?" Asked figure number one.  
  
"Now, we begin to show ourselves to them, a little at a time. First little flashes at the corners of their eyes, and then small glimpses, and then we will completely reveal ourselves and hope for the best." The second said.  
  
"I don't want to scare them again. I hate doing that."  
  
"You are so dull, Landon! We have to get through to them."  
  
"Yes, but why not just one of them?"  
  
"That was the plan…I don't know why it didn't work. Instead of one, we got eight, but I suppose that is better."  
  
"Tryon, you really are mental! How can we take seven people back in time…?"  
  
"We will manage." The second stated. The first gave a disgusted sigh and then they vanished.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sakura woke up the next morning with Syaoran's protective arm around her waist. Nora's head was on Sakura's shoulder, and when Sakura shifted, the other girl woke up.  
  
"It was real." Nora whispered, as though she still couldn't believe it.  
  
"What do you think it meant? I know that it was trying to tell us something important, and even Naoko had the dream." Sakura whispered back. Nora nodded.  
  
"Are you going to tell your other friends about you being the Cards Mistress?"  
  
"I really don't know. Naoko at least, will need to know, if this progresses any further. She is part of this now, whether she likes it or not." Sakura answered.  
  
"We may need her help in the long run, and it will be nice to have her with us…" Nora mussed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Naoko's POV*  
  
I woke up when I felt Ellanora stir beside me. Keeping my eyes silted, I peeked out at her. Nora had her back to me, and she was talking with Sakura, who was up, surprisingly enough.  
  
"…even Naoko had the dream." Sakura was saying. Ellanora nodded.  
  
"Are you going to tell your other friends about you being the Cards Mistress?" She asked. I felt stunned. Sakura rarely ever kept secrets from her friends…and what was the 'Cards Mistress'?  
  
"…She is part of this now, whether she likes it or not." Sakura finished. After those words, I heard no more. Sakura had said that I, Naoko the Loner, was one of them! What the group was based around, I had no idea, but it didn't matter. I was one of them!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Normal POV*  
  
Nora felt Naoko stir beside her, and she and Sakura smiled at the girl.  
  
"Good Morning!" The three girls said in unison. Then they fell into planning their day. Syaoran woke up soon after that, and instinctively tightened his hold on Sakura.  
  
"Are you all right?" He asked softly in her ear. She gave a delighted shudder and nodded. Her eyes then shifted down to Touya, who was watching the couple with a small smile on his face. Sakura looked at him in surprise, but her just shook his head and looked away.  
  
"OH NO! Syaoran, we have training!" Nora cried, crawling over Sakura and Syaoran and jumping off the bed. It was quite early, only about six 'o' clock. Syaoran sent his sister an alarmed look, and then pulled away from Sakura. The brother and sister raced out of the room, only to come back minutes later in their battle costumes. Syaoran was in his usual family robes, and Sakura looked at him proudly. Ellanora was in a costume similar to Meiling's, (a/n: You know, long scoop sleeves and thigh-high skirt), except Nora's was green. Suddenly, Meiling burst into the room.  
  
"Hurry! We are going to be late…" Meiling trailed off, and a blush colored her cheeks when she caught sight of Touya. He grinned at her, and started to leave the room.  
  
"Nice costumes." He commented, and then disappeared to his own room.  
  
"I have to speak with Yelan. I will catch up with you later." Eriol called over his shoulder as he too, left the room. Nora looked at Sakura, Naoko and Tomoyo.  
  
"Would you like to join us at the training grounds?" She asked. Sakura nodded and Tomoyo gave a squeal.  
  
"Goody! Something for me to tape!" She shrilled. Sakura sweat dropped, but then she got an idea.  
  
"Tomoyo, come into the bathroom with me for a minute." Sakura called. A few moments later, she and Tomoyo came out, dressed appropriately. Sakura was in a battle uniform identical to Nora's except it was pink. Tomoyo was dressed in a purple dress, similar to the one that Nora had worn the day before. Sakura held a similar dress out to Naoko and smiled.  
  
"This one is for you. Hurry and put it on!" Naoko hurried into the bathroom with the yellow dress.  
  
"I used the Create Card." Sakura explained to the others. When Naoko finished changing, the six friends headed down to the training grounds.  
  
"Take this camera and catch as much footage as you possibly can." Tomoyo instructed Naoko, handing her an extra camcorder. Naoko nodded, and then the two girls ran to catch up with the rest.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakura, you were so KAWAII!" Tomoyo cried, running up to her sweaty friend.  
  
"Thanks…that was fun…" Sakura panted. She had been fighting against Nora, who was a surprisingly good opponent.  
  
"You were…good Sakura!" Nora complimented her. Soon, Syaoran came up beside the five girls and shot Sakura a gentle smile.  
  
"A cold shower will help with the cramps, Sakura." He said, helpfully. She shot him a grateful smile and allowed herself to be led away to a small bathing house by Meiling and Nora. When they were through with their showers, they dressed into dresses just like Tomoyo's and Naoko's. Sakura's was light pink, Meiling's was wine-red, and Ellanora's was celestial blue. They met Naoko and Tomoyo outside the bathhouse, and then continued on to meet Syaoran by the entrance to the Dinning Hall. His hair was still wet, and his cheeks were flushed pink from the warm water. He was wearing a Chinese-style, high necked, black-silk shirt, with black-silk pants to match. He looked incredibly handsome, and even a bit dangerous. Sakura gave a delighted shudder when she caught sight of him. She shot her a smile, and then, as an afterthought, put his arm around her waist.  
  
As the group walked in, everyone looked up and gaped.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Sakura's class's reactions*  
  
'Wow! Who'd of thought that Naoko could look like that?' Chiharu thought.  
  
'I've never seen Syaoran wear clothes that formal! By the way, I wonder if they know that formal wear originated in…' Yamazaki started.  
  
'I wonder if I can get Tomoyo-chan to make my bridesmaids gowns in that style…' Rika wondered.  
  
'Rika would look good in one of those!' Terada thought.  
  
'Late as usual, but my, Daidouji-san is looking lovely this morning…Wait! What the heck are you thinking, Eriol?!" Eriol chided himself, feeling a blush steal up his face.  
  
'Boy! Meiling sure has changed since I last saw her in Japan! She has gotten so much more woman-like…" Touya thought. (a/n: I know that he is not a classmate, but I just had to put him in!!!)  
  
Needless to say, everyone else in the class was speechless.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Normal POV*  
  
"Welcome back, children. Did the training go well?" Yelan asked, standing up.  
  
"Mama! I fought Sakura, and she was wonderful! You should have seen her!" Nora cried, bouncing into her seat. Yelan smiled at her youngest daughter.  
  
"Was she now? Well, I congratulate you, Sakura. Now, we have a busy day planned for you. My children, as you know, are home-schooled here in China, so you will be as well. Terada Sensei will teach you your basic lessons, but you will have private tutors for the rest of your lessons." Yelan said. Everyone nodded. As soon as breakfast was done, they headed off for their first class. The six young people who had gone to the training grounds did take a short detour to change into their school clothes, though.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"…So then I called Syaoran and told him that he had better *not* come back, or else I would kick his butt to kingdom come!" Ellanora said, glaring at her brother a few hours later, while the others laughed. He glared at her. They were out in the gardens, and Nora was telling them about a phone call that she had gotten from Syaoran a few months ago.  
  
"It was our Birthday, for heaven's sake! The least I could do was visit you!" He snapped. Sakura smiled.  
  
"But then you wouldn't have been there for your party!" She reminded him, gently hugging him around the waist. "And you wouldn't have wanted to disappoint me, now would you?" She asked cheekily. He sent her a guilty smile.  
  
"I suppose not…" He whispered, returning her hug. Naoko and Tomoyo elbowed each other, and Nora, Meiling and Eriol smiled knowingly at the couple.  
  
"Hey I have an idea. Syaoran, you said that you used to pretend that there were ghosts in this castle, right?" Nora asked. Sakura gave a sharp gasp and buried her head in Syaoran's chest. Syaoran nodded, but shot his sister a glare.  
  
"Good! But why did you?" She asked slowly, as though she was getting an idea. He shrugged.  
  
"I don't know. I guess I used to believe that they really *were* there, but now I know that it isn't true." At his words, Tomoyo jumped.  
  
"Wait! Wait just a minute! I think I understand where Nora is going! We all had the dream, but Naoko and I don't have magic, and Touya supposedly gave all of his to Yue!" Tomoyo cried, as if this explained everything. Naoko frowned in confusion.  
  
"Magic?! Who has magic?" She asked, looking eagerly around. Tomoyo's eyes widened and she clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had just revealed. Eriol groaned.  
  
"I'll explain. You see, Naoko, Sakura owns a special deck of cards called the 'Sakura Cards'. Each of the cards confines a powerful magical force, such as weather, wind, elements or flying. There are two 'Guardians' protecting the cards. Their names are Cerberus and Yue. The cards and the guardians were all created by a man named Clow Reed. I am the reincarnation of this man. Syaoran has grown up around magic, and even has some of his own. Touya, Sakura's brother, used to have magic, which we thought that he gave it away to one of Sakura's guardians, Yue. It seems that it wasn't all given away, though." Eriol finished. Naoko frowned.  
  
"But what about Meiling, Tomoyo and Ellanora?" She asked.  
  
"Well, Meiling grew up training with Syaoran, so she knows all about magic. Tomoyo found out about Sakura accidentally, when she taped Sakura flying with the 'Fly Card'. After that, she taped almost every capture that Sakura made. And Ellanora…" Eriol stopped, and looked at the girl. Nora smiled and stood up.  
  
"I have a very different power that anyone else. I don't usually show it…" She said hesitantly, looking at Eriol.  
  
"She hasn't even told me what it is, and I am her twin brother!" Syaoran said, frowning at his sister.  
  
"How come Eriol seems to know, then?" Naoko asked. Eriol grinned at her.  
  
"Because I am the reincarnation of the most powerful wizard in the world! Plus, I can read minds." He explained. Nora finally nodded, and looked away.  
  
"Fine. I will show you…" She said. She closed her eyes in concentration, and then held out her hand. She pointed at the ground and then slowly curled her finger back towards her hand, in a beckoning motion. Suddenly, a small, delicate vine popped out of the earth and twined itself around the girl's outstretched wrist. With her other hand, she gently ran her fingers down the length of the vine and tiny blue flowers sprouted where she had touched. She opened her eyes and smiled. Everyone except Eriol watched her in shock. She sent them a shy smile.  
  
"Watch." She commanded. Then she closed her eyes again and sat silently, not moving, or doing anything. They waited for a few seconds, and then the group started to get antsy. Suddenly, Tomoyo let out a tiny shriek.  
  
"Kawaii!" She cried, taking out her camera and pointing it at something. The others looked over to see what she was doing, and then they all gasped. On the path next to Nora sat a fluffy snow-white rabbit, and five tiny balls of fluff.  
  
"A rabbit and her babies!" Tomoyo whispered, looking awed. Nora grinned.  
  
"Everyone, I would like to introduce you to Blueberry and her five babies. They were only born a few weeks ago." She said softly, gently patting the mother rabbit. It looked up at her with trusting eyes, and then looked around at the group.  
  
I am pleased to meet all of you! Came a sweet voice in their heads. Eriol grinned.  
  
"It is nice to meet you too, Blueberry!" He laughed.  
  
"Nor…Nora, how did you do that?" Sakura stuttered, looking at the rabbits fearfully. Ellanora grinned.  
  
"Oh, that is my other power. I can communicate with animals." She said. "I talk to them, and they talk back. I can also transfer what they are saying, to other people." Nora explained.  
  
"Like you just did. But I still don't understand something! What does magic have to do with having these dreams?" Naoko asked, looking confused. Nora grinned at Tomoyo who looked back with a growing smile on her face.  
  
"It doesn't! That is the whole point! Syaoran, you have the training to sense ghosts, but you haven't sensed any lately, have you?" Nora asked. Syaoran shook his head.  
  
"Then there are no ghosts here…but there is something that is definitely in that same category! Remember the dream?" Tomoyo asked, excitedly. Everyone nodded.  
  
"The man did something to those boys…not a bad something, but something that would help them. The question is…what was it?" Nora asked. No one had an answer to that.  
  
"I think that the best thing that we can do, is to search the castle for some clues. There has to be something, one or all of us saw, that sparked off the dream, but what was it, and where is it now?" Tomoyo asked.  
  
"Syaoran, when you used to pretend that there were ghosts, where did you usually pretend it?" Sakura asked, her eyes suddenly lighting up. Syaoran caught onto what she was saying.  
  
"Normally, it was in the third-floor somewhere." He answered. Sakura smiled bravely, but her mouth quivered a bit.  
  
"Then that is where we will start." She said. With a united nod, the group of people went back inside to find Touya.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"This is different. They are smarter than I thought." Stated a white figure, looking out an up-stairs window at the group down below.  
  
"Then are we changing the plans?" Asked the other hopefully, collapsing down onto a chair. The first shook its head.  
  
"Not really, Landon. I think the only thing that we will change is how we show ourselves. I know for a fact that they will split up into groups. The first group that comes in here, will be the lucky winners. I will decide then whether or not the others will see us." The first answered. The second frowned.  
  
"You are so lucky that you are older, Tryon, or else I would whip you right here and now!" It hissed. The first simply chuckled.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
D.L:  
  
Daphne: "Did you like it? I tried not to make it confusing, but…I suppose it is anyway. Don't worry, though. Most of the story will be explained in the next chapter, (I hope!) So hold your horses."  
  
Kero: "What if they don't have horses, though?"  
  
Daphne: *Sweat drop* "It is an expression, Kero!"  
  
Kero: "Oh…Ok then!"  
  
Daphne: "Anyway, please R+R! I really want to know what you think about the story! Thanks!" 


	5. Landon and Tryon show themselves!

Daphne: "I am going to make this short, because I have something important to do…"  
  
Sakura: Calling from downstairs "Daphne, are you ready yet? Tomoyo and Eriol are expecting us in half an hour!  
  
Daphne: "Coming mom! Ok, to make this quick, CCS does not belong to me, it belongs to Clamp! I really hope that you like this chapter and that you will R+R!!!!!! I look around to make sure that I am not missing anything *mumbles* "I know that there was something…Oh yah! KERO!"  
  
Kero: "What?"  
  
Daphne: "Would you please write up the story today? I really have to go…"  
  
Syaoran: "Daphne! Get a move on!"  
  
Daphne: I blow a kiss to Kero and then run out of the room "Coming!"  
  
Kero: Makes sure that Daphne is really gone "He, he! She should know better than to leave me alone with her stories! Anyway, please enjoy the story!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
  
  
"We're going to do *WHAT*?!" Touya cried, looking at the group as if they were crazy. Nora, knowing that they were loosing the battle, got an idea. She shoved Meiling forward.  
  
"Meiling, why don't you tell him?" Nora asked slyly. Everyone quickly stifled their giggles.  
  
"I…um, we…are going to the third floor…to search for ghosts." Meiling stuttered. His face softened when the nervous girl spoke, but then his gaze rested on a pale Sakura.  
  
"You shouldn't put Sakura through this, Gaki! She is terrified of ghosts!" He argued weakly, eyeing Meiling.  
  
"Touya, are you afraid?" Sakura asked. Touya looked at her in astonishment.  
  
"Of course I'm not!" He answered. Sakura smiled shakily.  
  
"Then I'm not either. Come on." She said, still shaking a little. Syaoran came up beside her and took her hand. Nora looked around at the group and then nodded.  
  
"Good. Now, we are going to split up into four groups. Tomoyo and Eriol, you two will go to the East Wing and search the right-hand side rooms. Touya and Meiling will search the left-hand side. Here are your candles, since we don't have electricity up there." Nora handed Touya and Eriol two tall candelabras, with candles all ready in them. Then she handed them each a set of matches.  
  
"Sakura, Syaoran, Naoko and I will search the West Wing. We will meet you back in the library in an hour. I you see anything, send one of your group for the others. Any questions?" Nora asked, looking around. Everybody shook their heads, and then went to their assigned posts.  
  
"Sakura and I will check the rooms to the left of the hall, and you two check the rooms on the right. If you see anything, one of us will stay, while the other three go and find the others." Syaoran instructed, taking a lit candelabra in one hand, and Sakura's hand in his other. Nora and Naoko nodded an affirmative, and then started their search.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Touya/Meiling's POV*  
  
"Do you have any idea where we are?" Meiling asked, looking around the large, dusty room. Touya shook his head and looked down at his partner.  
  
"Wait! I see something! How cute! It is one of Syaoran's old toy cars!" Meiling said, picking up the tiny car. Touya grinned.  
  
"I had no idea the gaki played with cars!" He chuckled.  
  
"He used to. He must have left this here during one of his stays and then forgotten about it. We should take it back to him." Meiling said, starting to leave the room.  
  
"Wait! We have to search every room! And I for one do not want to see the gaki anytime before I have to. You are much better company than him!" Touya stated, his cheeks growing a bit red. Meiling turned red, but she didn't argue. She wanted to spend some quality time searching for clues, and maybe a little something else. (a/n: Duh! She wants to search *Touya!* He, he! I'm evil, I know!)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Eriol/Tomoyo POV*  
  
"They have been in that one room an awful long time, don't you think?" Eriol asked Tomoyo, his eyes sparkling with mischief. Tomoyo grinned.  
  
"And I caught it all on tape!" She whispered, holding out her video-camera. Eriol sweat dropped and the turned away from the door where they had been spying on Touya and Meiling.  
  
"I think that we had better start our search, or they will get suspicious." He whispered back, opening the door of the first room. It was large, dusty and empty. It had large windows at one end of it, which were covered with dusty old curtains. Tomoyo went over to one of them and pushed it open.  
  
"*Acho!* "Oh, look at the view, Eriol!" She cried, looking out the window. This window overlooked the courtyard and was perfectly situated to look straight into the windows of the West wing.  
  
"I wonder what is going on over there." He mussed. Tomoyo shrugged her shoulders. Then they both caught sight of a light entering a room at the end of the wing. It stayed there for quite a while, not doing anything, but Eriol sensed that one of the people in the room had left.  
  
"That would be Nora and Naoko. I wonder how it is going for them." He murmured, his eyes searching for some answers, but getting none.  
  
"Eriol, Tomoyo! Touya, Meiling! Hurry! Nora's found something!" Came three excited voices.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Sakura/Syaoran POV*  
  
"Hoe! Syaoran, this is scary!" Sakura whimpered, her eyes roaming around the shadows of the room they were in. Syaoran smiled softly, and pulled Sakura into a tight hug.  
  
"Don't worry, my Ying-fa. I won't let anything hurt you.  
  
"What does Ying-fa mean?" Sakura asked, here eyes searching his. A blush rose to his cheeks.  
  
"It means 'Cherry Blossom' in Chinese." He answered. Sakura nodded and then gave a sigh.  
  
"We had better hurry. I want to get this done as soon as possible!" She whispered, reluctantly tearing herself from his arms and taking the candelabra. He smiled at her, and then they started to leave the room.  
  
"Sakura! Syaoran! Wait! Ellanora sensed something and she wants me to gather everyone and bring them to the room! Hurry! I think that it is important!" Naoko whisper/cried, fear etching itself in her features. Syaoran and Sakura could tell that something was wrong, because Naoko was rarely ever frightened. They gave quick nods, and then the three of them hurried off to find the other four.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Ellanora/Naoko POV*  
  
"Let's start at the end of the hallway, instead of the start. That way, we can work ourselves back." Naoko suggested. Nora nodded and they made their way to the end of the hall. Nora reached for the door handle, but the door flew open on its own, almost as if someone had opened it from the inside. Immediately, a blast of icy cold air hit the girls. The air smelled musty and was full of dust. Nora and Naoko made their way into the room, both sneezing and choking for breath. When they finally regained their sight, they found themselves in a well furnished room, full of dusty furniture and toys.  
  
"This looks like an old playroom." Nora whispered, cautiously entering the room.  
  
"Maybe these are Syaoran's things?" Naoko asked hopefully. Nora shook her head.  
  
"I don't think so…these toys look much too old. Besides…I don't think that Syaoran played with many home-made things." Nora answered, looking nervous. Naoko shivered.  
  
"I see what you mean. These things seem to be home made…" She trailed off, looking around the room. A sudden blast of cold air wrenched the dusty old curtains out of place and blew them about. Naoko gave a small shriek, as the temperature in the room plummeted.  
  
"Naoko, go get the others. Hurry." Nora commanded calmly. Naoko gave a terrified nod and ran out of the room. As soon as she was gone, the room returned to normal.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Normal POV*  
  
Nora looked around the now normal room, and gave a sigh.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that we've been tricked." She groaned. Suddenly, she felt a presence behind her. With a gasp of fear, she turned, only to find herself staring into a face that she didn't recognize.  
  
"Boo." It said. Ellanora stifled a shriek with her hand, and dropped weakly into a chair behind her; only to land on something soft.  
  
"This is interesting!" The thing whispered, and Nora felt arms twine around her waist. She gave a desperate moan, but it caught in her throat. Right there in front of her stood one white, see-through boy, and she was sitting in the lap of another!  
  
"Now, Landon!" The one holding Nora commanded. The one that had scared her turned lazily and waved his hand at the door, which slammed shut and locked. Nora gave a terrified gasp, but could not move. The boy holding her, grinned. He looked to be about fifteen years old.  
  
"I see that we have our first victim!" He chuckled darkly. With one mighty tug, Nora pulled out of his grasp, only to fall into the arms of the other boy, who was about twelve.  
  
"Tryon! You're frightening her, you numb-skull!" The boy gently helped Nora regain her balance and then glared at his companion in the chair.  
  
"Who…who are you?" Nora whispered, her voice unable to go any higher.  
  
"Why, we are the masters of this house!" The sitting boy stated, looking proud.  
  
"You mean, we used to be, before they moved in!" The standing one reminded his friend. "I am Landon, and that annoying donkey-brain over there is my older brother, Tryon." He explained. The boy in the chair simply smirked.  
  
"You're not ghosts, my friends and I know that already…but what are you? And how can you be solid one minute, and air the next?" Nora asked, her fear of these brothers ebbing-off quickly.  
  
"That, madam, is something that even we don't know. We do know that we are somewhere between ghosts and humans, though." The sitting one said. Nora glared at him.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I would think that you were a poltergeist!" She snapped, making the younger brother, Landon, laugh.  
  
"Perhaps he is, but I'm not. I hate scaring people." Landon said.  
  
"Baby!" Tryon complained, sulking. If looks could kill, he would have been more than dead, with both his brother's and Nora's glares combined.  
  
"Then that dream we all had! It was real! That really happened to you…you have a lot of explaining to do." She hissed, poking Tryon in the chest. He gave a dark chuckle.  
  
"All will be revealed to you in due time. But for now, you must keep your mouth shut!" He said, standing up and coming at her threateningly. Nora gave a soft scream, but instead of backing away, she rushed towards him and punched him in the stomach.  
  
"Ohfffff!" He groaned, leaning over and holding the bruised area.  
  
"Try to touch me again, and it will be in a *lower* place next time!" She hissed. Landon laughed.  
  
"You are lucky you caught him in his solid stage. If he had been in his other, you would have gone right through him!" The younger boy chuckled. Nora grinned.  
  
"That will teach him to threaten me!" She crowed. Suddenly, there came a pounding at the door.  
  
"Nora?! Nora answer me! Are you all right?" Came Syaoran's panicky voice. Nora looked at the two brothers and nodded.  
  
"I will not tell anyone, but you have to promise that you will come and tell me what is going on, later tonight!" She whispered, going over to the door.  
  
"Fine. We will meet you in your room at twelve 'o' clock tonight." Landon confirmed.  
  
"Don't bring anyone else, and make sure that you are decently dressed when we come." Tryon said, in a mocking voice. Nora made a face at him.  
  
"I will make sure to be wearing only my 'Victoria's Secret' under-wear! Is that formal enough for you?" She hissed. Tryon blushed and glared at her, while Landon laughed. Then with a small rush of wind, the brother's disappeared.  
  
"Nora?! NORA!!!!" Came a chorus of voices. Nora gave a deep sigh, and then pretended to struggle with the door-handle.  
  
"Syaoran? Sakura? Naoko? Is that you?! I can't get out! A gust of wind blew the door shut, and it locked on me! There's no key!" Nora cried, stating half the truth. There was no key, and a gust of wind had blown the door shut.  
  
"Hold on! I'll use the 'Lock Card'!" Came Sakura's voice. There was a flash of light from the other side of the door, and almost immediately, the door crashed open. A small gust of wind exited the room, and Nora stumbled outside into her brother's waiting arms.  
  
Eriol looked up, aware that there was more to the story than Nora had been telling them. Syaoran and Sakura also seemed to be aware, but they were more worried about whether or not Ellanora was all right.  
  
"What happened in there?" He questioned, knowing that no one else would. Something flashed in her eyes, but it disappeared just as fast.  
  
"Nothing. I just got locked in and got really scared." She said, burying her head in Syaoran's shoulder. Eriol was not convinced, but said nothing.  
  
"Let's go back downstairs. I think that we have had enough adventure for one day." Touya said, leading the group down the stairs. Nora looked back one last time, and thought she saw Landon and Tryon, but when she looked again, there was nothing there.  
  
'I will have a lot of explaining to do, if this ever gets out!' She thought.  
  
"Naoko, Touya, I think that with all that has happened, it is best if you move into this Wing. Naoko, your room is next to Nora's, and Touya, your room will be the first room to the left, next to Meiling's. Now, if you are all settled, I will leave to alone for the evening!" Yelan said, walking away from the small group to people.  
  
"Come on, Naoko! Sakura, Tomoyo, Meiling, let's show Naoko her new room!" Nora cried, grabbing Naoko's hand and pulling her into the bedroom. The other three girls followed, while the two boys showed Touya his room. When the tours were through, they decided to go to bed.  
  
"Good night, everyone!" Nora cried, hugging her brother and running into her room. Everyone stared after her in shock.  
  
"She seems a little…eager, to get to bed, don't you think?" Eriol asked suspiciously. He had been trying to read Nora's mind all day, but something was blocking him out, keeping him from doing it. He had mentioned this to the others, and they all agreed to keep an eye on Nora for a while.  
  
"Something happened in that room, this afternoon, that she is not telling us about." Eriol commented. "Someone should keep an eye on her tonight, to make sure that nothing is wrong. Naoko, would you do the honors?" He asked, looking at the girl. Naoko nodded her head, and then smiled nervously.  
  
"I will keep the door between our room cracked open. I am a really light sleeper, so I should wake up to any noises." She commented, going into her room. The others then said their 'good nights' and went to bed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Naoko's POV*  
  
At about five minutes after midnight, I woke up with a start. I strained my ears and heard voices coming from Ellanora's room. At first I thought that it was just Tomoyo or Sakura, or Meiling in her room, but then I realized that the other two voices were male.  
  
"Bingo!" I whispered, and crept out of bed. I tip-toed over to the door separating my room from Nora's and put my ear up to the crack that I had left earlier that evening. I still couldn't hear anything, because they seemed to be taking extra precautions *not* to be heard. Giving a sigh of defeat, I peeked through the crack.  
  
What I saw there in her room made me stifle a scream and clutch to the doorway in horror. Nora was sitting on her bed, calmly as can be, talking to someone in a chair beside the bed. That someone was the thing that made me scream. It was a ghost! Or…what looked like a ghost. It was see through, like a ghost, but there was something different about it at the same time. And Nora seemed quite comfortable talking with it…Wait! Hadn't I heard *three* voices? Where was the third person?  
  
"Got ya!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Normal POV*  
  
Nora glanced nervously at her clock, sighed, and laid back against her pillows. It was almost midnight, and still there was no sign of the brothers. She had set up two chairs beside her bed for them, because frankly, she didn't want that Tryon kid to sit on her precious bed.  
  
"Come on! I'm kind of tired, here!" She whined, leaning forward and throwing up her hands. With a sigh of defeat, she started to lean back again, only to hit something soft and warm for the second time that day.  
  
"Looking for me?" Came Tryon's obnoxious voice. Nora groaned and turned to look him in the eyes.  
  
"Isn't one punch in the stomach enough for you?" She hissed, pulling out of his grasp. He gave one of his dark chuckles, got off the bed, and plopped down in the only unoccupied chair. Landon was already sitting in the other one. He shot his brother a disgusted look, and then turned back to Ellanora.  
  
"Now, you know our names, but we don't know yours. I mean, we have heard two versions. There is Ellie, and Nora, but what is your full name?" Landon asked softly. Nora grinned.  
  
"It is Ellanora. But 'Nora' is a whole lot shorter, and I like it better than 'Ellie'." She stated. Tryon snorted.  
  
"It sounds like something that you would name your cow or something!" He taunted. Before he could even blink, Nora fulfilled her threat from earlier that day. Tryon fell out of the chair, holding his privet, and Landon had to bury his head in the chair-arm, so his laughter could not be heard. Nora grinned happily, and quietly rubbed her hands together.  
  
"I warned you, but noooo! You just had to go and get me mad. I will warn you ahead of time, next time you do that, you will be sore all over!" She threatened. Tryon shot her a deathly glare, but quickly moved into the shadows near the far wall. Nora gave a content sigh.  
  
"Now I know where to go if he is bullying me!" Landon chuckled. Nora grinned.  
  
"Even through I haven't lived in China for long, I have trained in Martial Arts most of my life. It was mother's wish, even though no one knew about me." Nora explained. Landon nodded, and began to speak, but he was interrupted by Tryon.  
  
"Got ya!" Tryon hissed, grabbing someone.  
  
"Agh!" Came a strangled scream. Nora turned pale as she recognized it. Naoko!  
  
"I thought that you weren't going to tell anyone!" Tryon hissed, glaring daggers at Nora. Nora glared right back.  
  
"I didn't!" She whispered, tugging her friend from Tryon's clutches and leading Naoko over to the bed.  
  
"Nora…what is happening? Who…what are they?" Naoko asked, eyeing the brothers suspiciously. Tryon simply glared at her, and Landon stared at her, speechless.  
  
"What were you doing, Naoko! I thought I told you that everything was fine!" Nora whispered. Naoko frowned at her.  
  
"You said that, but no one believed you, and for good reason!" Naoko said, looking pointedly at the brothers. "They asked me to keep an eye on you, to make sure that you were really all right. Unfortunately, I don't really know exactly what to tell them. This is kind of bizarre." Naoko commented. Nora sighed.  
  
"She was going to find out eventually. Why not now?" Landon asked, finally getting his voice back. Naoko glanced at the boy, and looked surprised.  
  
"So it is true! Ghosts really are see-through and kind of white looking." She said in an awed voice.  
  
"We are not ghosts! We are…" Tryon started to snap, but then he faltered, not really able to say what he was. Nora grinned slyly.  
  
"Tryon is the one that I have dubbed 'Poltergeist', and Landon is something in-between a ghost and a human. It is really hard to tell what they are." She said. Tryon glared at her.  
  
"You are going to pay for that remark!" He hissed. Nora grinned at him.  
  
"What are you going to do? Glare me to death?" She countered. Landon held up a hand.  
  
"Enough! Tryon, I think that it is about time we explained to these poor girls just how we came to be here. If you haven't forgotten, we do need their help." The younger boy said, sitting back down in his chair. Tryon mumbled something about 'mental' and 'females', but sat down in his chair, still glaring at Nora.  
  
"A long time ago…" Landon started.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
D.L:  
  
Kero: "He, he! Cliffhanger! And I am not even going to tell you if the others find out!" Gives an evil chuckle *mumbles* "And Daphne was going to tell everything in this chapter! Oh, well! Her mistake is my next chapter!" Looks back at the screen and sees that it is still on "Anyway! I hope that you enjoyed my version of the story. I left myself out because I am too important to be in this chapter. It was too girlie!"  
  
Tryon: His head pops out of the screen and he gives an evil laugh "You mean that you were to scared of me, to show your puny face!"  
  
Kero: *Sweat drop* He pushes Tryon's head back into the story "Sorry about that! Anyway, please R+R for me!"  
  
Daphne: I come into the room and see Kero at the computer "Kero, I'm home!"  
  
Kero: "Yah, yah!" Quickly turns off the computer. 


	6. Revealed, but not solved

Daphne: "Hi! I am going to hurry and write this while Kero is over at Eli's house, so I won't be bothered. I just want to remind you that CCS does not belong to me. (I wish it did!). I really hope that you are enjoying this story, and I hope that you will R+R!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves.  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 6.  
  
  
  
"…and then Sorcerer Mattock admitted to us that we didn't belong in that time period at all, and that we weren't really supposed to be born at all. Why we were born in that time, I will never know, but I do know that we have to solve a mystery before we can return to our full human forms. Sorcerer Mattock said something about reincarnation and a wolf…I think…" Landon faltered. Nora and Naoko looked at each other.  
  
"A mystery? About a wolf? That's strange." Nora commented thoughtfully. Tryon smirked.  
  
"Not as strange as you!" He laughed softly. Nora glared at him.  
  
"So then what happened?" Naoko asked, trying to stop the argument.  
  
"Well, soon after that, many people became mysteriously sick and died in our kingdom. Somehow, it was blamed on Tyron and me. Since our parents had died years earlier, we had no idea what to do. Luckily, Sorcerer Mattock turned up before the mob did, and then saved us. Unfortunately, he was killed soon after that by the mob. That room we were in this afternoon was our old play-room. We spent most of our free-time there, because there was nothing else to do." Landon explained.  
  
"What room were you in when…you know, it happened?" Naoko asked.  
  
"We were in the music-room on the second floor, but that was only because that was the first room that we could find that had a lock on it." Landon answered. Nora smiled, but Naoko was looking thoughtful.  
  
"Wolf…reincarnation…wolf…Library!" Naoko cried, startling them.  
  
"What?" Tryon asked, sneering at her.  
  
"The library! I am sure that is has some books about this place. It has too. Maybe a book about legends too. That might help." Naoko exclaimed. Nora nodded.  
  
"I am sure that we can find something…but when are we going to tell the others? We will need their help." Nora reminded Tryon, who was glaring at her.  
  
"We'll take care of that. You just worry about finding those books!" Landon answered. Naoko smiled at him, and for some reason, a red tinge appeared on his blue/white cheeks.  
  
"Wait! I have a guide book about China in my suitcase! Maybe it has something in it!" Naoko cried, grabbing Landon's arm and pulling him out of the room. Tryon turned and sent Nora a sly smile.  
  
"Oh, they left us all alone!" He simpered. Nora glared at him.  
  
"Keep away, bub! Haven't you learned your lesson yet?" She asked. His grin widened.  
  
"Then I'll just go where you can't hit me!" He laughed, and then disappeared. Nora stifled a shriek and looked around her room wildly. Nothing.  
  
"I am seriously going to hurt you if you don't come out right now!" She threatened. Suddenly, a pair of arms snaked their way around her waist and held her in a firm grip. She gave a disgusted and half-fearful moan, and turned to see Tryon's grinning face just above her. She was about to elbow him in the stomach, but he leaned down and whispered in her ear.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah! I obeyed you! I came out when you told me to, so you can't hurt me." He said, his ghostly eyes sparkling. Nora glared at him  
  
"What do you want?" She asked, annoyed. His grin widened.  
  
"Your help, of course! We need you to help us solve this mystery and set us free." He answered. She nodded, and gently pried his arms from around her.  
  
"Ok I can do that…but what would my brother do if he were to walk in here and see you hugging me like that?" Nora asked slyly. Immediately, Tryon's grin disappeared.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that, and you knew it!" He hissed. She giggled and nodded.  
  
"I know. I just wanted you to let go of me." At the end of the sentence, she gave a big yawn and sank back into her pillows.  
  
"Goodnight." She whispered, already half asleep. In a few moments, her breathing became regular and her face became peaceful and almost angelic. Tryon stared at her for a moment, and then a real, kind smile came to his lips.  
  
"I also need you to be my friend." He whispered, gently rubbing her cheek with his hand. Then with another soft smile, the young man disappeared into the night.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~ …I also need you to be my friend…I need you to be my friend…I need you…~ The words kept repeating themselves in Ellanora's dreams all night. But where had she heard them before?  
  
"Nora." Came a voice. Nora rolled over and mumbled something incoherent.  
  
"Nora! Wake up!" Came the voice again. This time, Ellanora didn't move.  
  
"That's funny. Naoko isn't waking up, either." Came another voice. The first sighed.  
  
"Something obviously happened last night, so we had better let them sleep." At these words, Nora turned over and mumbled something that resembled the words,  
  
"Come…back…Tryon." And then she went silent again. The two people who had been talking looked at each other.  
  
"Who is Tryon?" The Meiling hissed.  
  
"How should I know?" The Syaoran replied, as they left the room. Nora turned over again, restlessly. After about an hour more of sleeping, she began to cry in her sleep, softly at first, but then it raised to a wail.  
  
"Nora!!" Shouted Syaoran, running into the room, followed by Eriol, Meiling, Tomoyo and Sakura. The girl was tossing frantically around in her bed, and whimpering. Suddenly, she gave a terrified scream.  
  
"NO! Please don't hurt them! I'll do anything you want, just leave Xiao- lang alone! Ying-fa, run!" The girl shrieked, tears cascading down her face. Suddenly, Naoko came into the room, pale and looking as though she had just been through a world war. She quickly ran up to Nora and gently pulled the distraught girl into a hug. Nora's eyes opened, and she looked around wildly.  
  
"Ying-fa! Xiao-lang! I…Oh, Naoko!" The girl sobbed, when she realized where she was.  
  
"…It was horrible! I don't understand! In the dream, I saw everything so clearly…as if I were there, but now, I can't remember anything! But I was sad…and scared!" Ellanora whimpered, looking around the sun-lit room. Syaoran looked pale.  
  
"You kept yelling my name. You seemed to think that I was going to be hurt." He murmured, giving her a hug. Tomoyo looked thoughtful.  
  
"What does Ying-fa mean in Chinese?" She asked. Syaoran looked shocked.  
  
"It means Cherry Blossom…or Sakura!" He said, turning even paler.  
  
"I knew it was a bad idea to go up there! Something messed with your minds!" Touya said, walking into the room and glaring at Syaoran. Suddenly, Nora stiffened.  
  
"Our minds aren't messed up! They are probably clearer than they have been in some time! Don't you see what is happening?" Nora asked, looking exited. Everyone except for Naoko looked at her in confusion. Seeing this, Naoko rolled her eyes and gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"The mystery is starting to pull together. Nora had a dream, but it does not fit together with the other dream that we all had; Therefore showing, that this dream came from a different source than the other one. Also, Nora can't remember the dream, so this proves that it did not come from one of her direct memories, like the last one that we all had, did." Naoko explained, making everyone but Nora look even more confused.  
  
"DON"T YOU GET IT, YOU MAROONS?" Shouted an unknown voice. Nora and Naoko looked at each other and grinned.  
  
"Hey, guys? You wanted to know exactly what happened to Nora in that room, right? But I seem to remember us promising not to tell…so…they will tell you for us!" Naoko announced, bouncing off the bed and opening a window- curtain.  
  
Sakura, Meiling and Tomoyo all screamed and Syaoran let out a yell; for there, looking quite guilty, stood Landon with his hand over an outraged- looking Tryon's mouth.  
  
"Uh…Hi!" Landon said in a would-be cheery voice. Nora stomped up to Tryon and made to hit him over the head, but he was too quick. With one swift movement, he had her arm bent behind her back, and her back pressed to his chest.  
  
"As you can see, we have had encounters with Ellanora." He hissed in a carefree way. Syaoran growled and stepped forward menacingly.  
  
"Leave Nora alone, you…you…" Syaoran trailed off, unsure what to call the brothers. But it was Landon who made the come-back this time.  
  
"I would have thought that you would remember us, even after all this time, Xiao-lang." He whispered in a hurt tone. Syaoran stopped in shock, closed his eyes, and then started to sway, as though he were remembering something shocking.  
  
"Landon?" He asked hesitantly, opening his eyes in amazement. Landon nodded slowly, and Syaoran smiled.  
  
"I…I don't know how I forgot. I suppose that as I got older, you seemed more and more like a dream. How come you didn't show yourselves before this?" Syaoran asked. Tryon snorted.  
  
"You would have run away, that's why. Anyway, we had a hard enough time trying to convince your sister and Naoko to believe us." Tryon's voice had lost its viciousness, and actually sounded quite nice. He loosened his grip on Nora, who turned towards him.  
  
"You said the mystery had something to do with a 'little wolf' and 'reincarnation'. Maybe… maybe my dream had something to do with the mystery…if only I could remember it! It was almost like I was there, and it wasn't really a memory at all…" She whispered. Tryon looked startled.  
  
"You mean that the dream you had may have been a memory after all, but not from this time period! How rare is it for a person to be reincarnated?" Tryon asked eagerly, turning to Eriol, who shrugged.  
  
"Pretty rare…but I still don't understand something. Is it true that you used to play with Syaoran up there? You actually used to communicate with him?" Eriol asked. The brothers nodded.  
  
"Yes. He used to visit us every day and we would play in our old playroom." Landon answered. Tryon wasn't paying attention to this conversation.  
  
"Reincarnation…we weren't in the right time…Ugh! How does this all fit together?" He moaned. Nora stared at him in shock. This hard-thinking and focused young man was nothing like the one who she had met the day before! Why, this boy was acting decent and sane! Almost like a *live* human would! At this thought, Nora gave a soft giggle.  
  
"Poltergeist-boy is going soft!" She murmured into his ear. For some odd reason, he stiffened, and if you looked closely enough, you would have seen a red tinge to his usually blue/white cheeks.  
  
"Maybe so, but at least I am trying to solve this." He countered. She glared at him, but silenced.  
  
"Wait, I think that Tryon is onto something." Eriol commented. He looked over at Tomoyo and whispered something to her. She nodded.  
  
"We are going to the library." He announced, taking Tomoyo's hand and dragging her out of the room. The others looked after them in amusement, but Nora looked thoughtful.  
  
"Syaoran, isn't there a legend that Wei once told us about this place? You know, about the boy who talked with the wolves?" She asked. Syaoran's eyes lit up.  
  
"Of course! That was a long time ago, even before Clow Reed." He answered. She nodded.  
  
"And Landon, you said that the Sorcerer told you that you didn't belong in that time. Did he ever mention why?"  
  
"No. I think that that is part of the mystery…although I can't think why." Landon answered. Suddenly, Tryon's eyes lit up.  
  
"Wait! I have a theory! Syaoran, isn't there a pack of wild wolves somewhere near here?" He asked excitedly.  
  
"Yes, they like to come out a lot at night…"  
  
"Good! Then tonight, we are going out there to see them!" Tryon said triumphantly. Suddenly, the whole group was nervous.  
  
"To see what?" Sakura asked. Tryon grinned.  
  
"To see the wolves, of course." He answered.  
  
"HOEEEEE?" Sakura cried in fear. Touya glared at the ghostly boy.  
  
"What are you trying to pull?" He hissed at Tryon. Tryon backed up a little.  
  
"I think that we should." Nora defended him. Tryon looked at her in astonishment.  
  
"Wh…what?" He stuttered. She grinned at him.  
  
"My power is with animals, right? Well, I have a distinct feeling I know what you are getting at, and I want to help. Besides, that's what friends do." She said, smiling at him. His face turned from stunned to…as red as a ghosts could possibly get, which is pretty red!  
  
"Yah, that's what friends do." He mumbled. Suddenly, Naoko's stomach growled.  
  
"Um, sorry to break up this little love-fest…excuse me…friends-fest," at these words, Nora and Tryon turned bright red and turned away from each other with a 'humph', "…but I think that it is about time for Nora and myself to get something to eat. We skipped breakfast, if you haven't forgotten." She reminded them. Everyone quickly agreed that it was about time for lunch, and hurried down to get Tomoyo and Eriol for lunch.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Eriol/Tomoyo POV*  
  
"Eriol, what exactly are we trying to find?" Tomoyo groaned. Eriol grinned and held up an old, leather-bound book.  
  
"This." He answered, walking over to the couch and sitting down. Tomoyo sat down next to him and watched with interest as he turned to a certain page and began to read outloud.  
  
"…'It is said that every night, the 'Mystery Prince' would go into the forest and play with the wolves, thus earning him the nickname of 'little wolf boy'. This is also believed to be the translation of his real name, though there is no proof of this. As this boy grew up, it is said that he fell in love with a lovely Princess. It is not known what happened between this time, and the time both he and the Princess disappeared, but it is believed that they ran away together, leaving behind the Prince's distraught sisters and mother, and also the Princess's betrothed. Sadly, there was no proof to go along with this tale, so the legend eventually became almost non-existent. It is said, however, that ghosts haunt the palace now dubbed as the 'Palace of the Wolves'. Some say that the ghosts are the Prince and Princess's. Others say that there is only one ghost, and it is that of the Princess's betrothed. Whatever the story, there is little proof behind the tale, so we must label this as a legend, or a fable." Eriol finished. Tomoyo's eyes sparkled with excitement.  
  
"No proof, huh? Eriol, this is starting to fit together! Reincarnation, 'Little Wolf', and everything else!" She cried, jumping off the couch. Suddenly, voices drifted into the room.  
  
"Wait until they hear…Tomoyo! Eriol! Lunch! And do we have a story to tell you!" Came Sakura's voice. Tomoyo and Eriol grinned at each other.  
  
"Coming!" They shouted in unison.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
D.L:  
  
Daphne: "So did you like it? I know that it was horribly confusing, but it will all fit together in the end! The only other thing that I want to ask is that you REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW, REVIEW! Please?!" 


	7. Meeting the Wolves

Daphne: pushing Kero away from the keyboard where he has been playing games all afternoon "Kero! It's my turn! You promised that you would let me on right after you beat up the ninjas! Now get OFF!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"  
  
Kero: "Fine! Be that way!"  
  
Daphne: "I will…Ahem!" looks at the reviewers and bows "I apologize for the interruption. Well…here is the next chapter, and I really hope that you will like it. I want to thank ALL of you for Reviewing…THANK YOU!!!!!!!!! I am going to try to sort things out in this chapter, but I'm not sure that I can do it ALL, so please bare with me."  
  
Kero: "Oh! I get it! BEAR with you! Ha, ha! That's funny Daphne!"  
  
Daphne: *Sigh* "Kero, it wasn't a joke, it was an expression! Anyway, please R+R this chapter! Thanks!"  
  
Kero: Hesitantly "Now can I kick some more ninja butts?"  
  
Daphne: *Throbbing vain* "NO!!!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 7.  
  
  
  
"So what are your plans for tonight?" Asked Yelan, later that night, during dinner. The eight guilty people choked on their food and looked at each other guiltily.  
  
"We were planning on meeting in the entertainment room and watching a documentary on China." Terada sensei answered. Yelan nodded, and then looked over at her son.  
  
"And you are going to join them, aren't you, Xiao-lang?" She asked. He gulped.  
  
"Of…of course, mother." He answered. Yelan looked at him and frowned.  
  
"And after that…?" She asked.  
  
"Um…probably go to bed…" Syaoran trailed off as Yelan shook her head. Now the whole table was staring at them.  
  
"Xiao-lang, you should know better than to lie to me." She crooned. Nora turned a little pale.  
  
"We…we were…planning on doing something later, outside, after everyone was asleep. It is an experiment for one of our training classes." She explained. Yelan nodded, and excepted the excuse. She could sense that her daughter was telling the whole truth. And Nora was! They were going outside after everyone was asleep to test Tryon's idea, and it *was* training, for what was to come later. The eight guilty people gave sighs of relief and Syaoran shot Nora a thankful smile. Naoko looked up just in time to spot Landon flashing her a bright smile and then disappearing onto nothing. Naoko stared dreamily at the place where Landon had just stood.  
  
"Naoko, are you all right? Hello?! Earth to spaze-girl!" Chiharu called.  
  
"Did you know that when people look at each-other like that they…" Yamazaki started, but he was cut off when Chiharu hit him over the head with her fork.  
  
"Huh? What?" Naoko asked, jolting out of her reverie. Chiharu grinned.  
  
"If I didn't know better, I would think that you are in love with someone, Naoko!" She joked. Naoko turned red.  
  
"That's just silly!" She exclaimed, ignoring Nora's loud cough that sounded mysteriously like, 'Landon'. Now Sakura and Tomoyo were grinning at her.  
  
"Kawaii!" Tomoyo shrieked.  
  
"Naoko, do you have a crush on Landon?" Sakura asked slyly. Her eyes widened and she clapped her hand over her mouth when she realized what she had just revealed.  
  
"And who is this Landon, may I ask?" Yalan asked. Sakura shifted uncomfortably and looked at Syaoran for help.  
  
"He is…a boy that goes to our school, mother." He explained.  
  
"Funny. I have never heard of anyone named Landon at our school…" Rika commented.  
  
"Um…yah…he is an older guy." Syaoran said. Yamazaki looked at Syaoran in disbelief.  
  
"Mou, Syaoran! You are becoming a better liar than me!" He announced, making some kids snicker. Syaoran blushed and looked down.  
  
"Fine! I'll admit it! Landon is a guy from a rival school of ours. I made them promise not to tell, so no one would get mad at me and think I was disloyal to our school. Landon is a really nice person." Naoko finished, looking sad. Everyone stared at her in shock. Naoko…liking boys?!?! This was either a miracle, or a really bad joke, and from the blush on Naoko's face, the class decided that it was a miracle. Eventually, they went back to eating, and Naoko gave a sigh of relief.  
  
"You know, if I didn't know better, I would think that you really *do* like Landon!" Meiling whispered, leaning over to whisper in Naoko's ear. Naoko blushed even more and refused to look up from her meal. It was going to be a LONG night!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakura, wake up!" Called a soft voice. Sakura woke up and looked into the amber eyes above her.  
  
"Time to go already?" She whispered to Syaoran. He nodded, and she got out of bed. She was dressed in a high-necked Chinese-style, black silk dress. (a/n: Similar to the one that Meiling wears in the First movie, except black!) Her now shoulder length hair was pulled back with black ribbons, and she wore a pair of soft, black slippers on her feet, similar to Syaoran's battle shoes. Syaoran was wearing a high-necked Chinese-style black silk shirt and loose black silk pants. His black shoes were similar to Sakura's. He quickly took Sakura's hand and led her out to the hallway, where Touya and Meiling already stood, waiting. It had been agreed earlier in the night that the boys…or men, as they called themselves, would stay up and wake the girls when the time came. Touya shot a worried glance at his pale sister.  
  
"Are you sure you want to do this?" Touya asked Sakura. She gave him a brave smile and then nodded.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Tomoyo, time to get up!" Eriol whispered into the sleeping girl's ear. Tomoyo moaned and turned over. She was conscious, but just barely. Suddenly, a sly glint raced across Eriol's eyes. He slowly bent down, and placed his lips on her forehead, then her eyelids, and then her cheeks. With a gasp, the raven-haired girl sat up and looked at him in astonishment. He chuckled.  
  
"That will teach you to ignore me!" He whispered calmly, but inside, his heart was doing flip-flops, and his breathing had sped up. She gave him a wide-eyed nod, and got out of bed. She avoided his eyes, and a rosy blush had risen to her pale cheeks.  
  
'I'm lucky that it's dark!' She thought, giving a sigh of relief.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Naoko…"  
  
"I'm awake!" She whispered sleepily, rubbing her eyes and yawning. Landon smiled at her.  
  
"It amazes me that girls can do that and look so sweet, but when boys yawn, they always look like monsters, and they have morning breath!" Landon commented. Naoko, who was still only half awake, looked at him in confusion.  
  
"What do you mean?" She asked. He smiled and shook his head.  
  
"Nothing. Don't worry about it." He whispered, helping her get to her feet. She reached over and put on her slippers, and then she followed him out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Nora?" Tryon asked hesitantly, looking at the sleeping girl. She rolled over and gave a soft sigh. He leaned over, closer to her.  
  
"Nora?!" He whispered; still no response. Tryon stepped back and thought. Then it came to him. He climbed up into the large bed, so that he was facing her. Then he gingerly took her shoulder and shook her gently. She gave a soft moan and opened her eyes.  
  
"Are you awake?" He joked, his face just centimeters from hers. She blinked and then gave a surprised squeal.  
  
"Tryon! Don't do that!" She gasped. He sat back and chuckled.  
  
"Sorry. Next time, though, get up when I call you the first time!" He laughed. She gave a tired nod and then rubbed her eyes and gave a small stretch. Tryon noticed that when she did this, she looked very much like a cat. He smiled at the thought, and then led her out to the hall, where the others waited. All the girls were dressed just like Sakura, and all the boys like Syaoran…that is, except Tryon and Landon. Tomoyo had braided her hair, and then twined it around her head, and tied it with black ribbons. Naoko had pulled her brown hair up into a bun and then secured it with a black hair net, encrusted with pearls. Meiling's hair was pulled back into a single braid, and then it was looped into a crown-like circle at the top of her head, secured by gold bobby-pins. Nora's chestnut locks were pulled up into a high ponytail at the top of her head and long, black ribbons held it in place.  
  
"Everybody ready to go?" Landon asked. Everyone nodded, and the two brothers led them down to the gardens, from there, the group climbed over the wall, (with a little help from the Float, Jump, and Fly cards!), and hurried into the forest. Upon entering the forest, Syaoran made a startling announcement.  
  
"Wait! I know where to go! I…I think that I have been here before." He said, leading them deeper into the forest. Together, he and Nora found their way to a clearing in the trees. Syaoran made a motion for them all to stop, and then he crept up and looked into the clearing. There were noises heard, snufflings and growls. Sakura and Meiling shrank behind Touya, and Tomoyo clutched at Eriol's hand. Naoko moved closer to Landon, and they all watched as Syaoran disappeared into the clearing. Suddenly, a happy scuffling was heard, and then Syaoran's laughter rang out in the night. Nora stepped out next, and then a delighted shriek ensued. The others peeked out curiously, and were shocked to see Syaoran and Ellanora surrounded by a pack of wolves. Syaoran was wincing as one wolf licked his cheek, and Nora was sitting in the middle of a small group of wolves, petting something in her lap. Sakura caught sight of what it was, and with a delighted cry, she too rushed out into the clearing, her fears forgotten and Tomoyo at her heals holding a video camera. Sakura crouched down and gently fingered the tiny ball of fir in Nora's lap. It was a baby wolf.  
  
"How old is it?" Sakura breathed.  
  
"Only a few days old." Nora answered. Suddenly, another baby stumbled over to Sakura and fell at her feet. Sakura picked this one up, and showed it to Meiling, who pet it with a look of amazement on her face. Tomoyo too, put down her camera and was now petting a third baby. There was a startled yell, and they all turned around to find Tryon laying on his back, a large wolf standing with its paws on his chest. Landon was beside him, petting another wolf.  
  
"Where do they live?" Meiling questioned. Nora pointed over at a large pile of rocks.  
  
"See that opening over there? That is where the babies were born, and this is where they will live for quite a while." She answered. Touya frowned as he petted a rather large wolf.  
  
"But there is something that I don't understand. Most wolves are vicious and mean…but these ones seem quite tame. How is it possible that they like all of us?" He asked. Eriol, who was leaning over and petting Tomoyo's baby wolf, looked up and smiled.  
  
"I think that Tryon should answer that." He said, looking at the young man. Tryon smiled.  
  
"One word. Reincarnation." He said, looking proud of himself. Everyone else, however, looked confused.  
  
"And…?" Nora asked. Tryon gave an annoyed sigh.  
  
"All right. I will start from the beginning. I think that these wolves HAVE met us…or at least, their ancestors did." He said.  
  
"How is that possible? That would mean that we had to live about a hundred years…ago…" Touya's speech trailed off, and a look of shock came to his eyes.  
  
"Wait! You aren't suggesting that WE were reincarnated, are you?" He shouted. Everyone gasped as Tryon nodded.  
  
"It all fits together! Listen! Landon and I are born in a time that we were not supposed to be born in. Before we are…killed, I suppose you can say, Sorcerer Mattock tells us that we must solve a mystery that has something to do with 'little wolves' and 'reincarnation'. Then, many years later, you all show up, and become involved, proving that you have something to do with the mystery that Landon and I are trying to solve. Are you with me so far?" He asked. Everyone nodded.  
  
"Then, Nora has a bad dream about people getting hurt, and her sacrificing herself for Syaoran, and then yelling at a 'Ying-fa' to run…that is the gist of what you remember, right?" He asked, looking at Nora. She nodded and he went on.  
  
"After that, Eriol and Tomoyo read a story about a prince who liked to go out into the forest and play with wolves! If my guess is right…these are the descendants of those very wolves that he played with! And the book also said that the boy's name was believed to translate into the name, "Little Wolf"!" Tryon sat back, and let these shocking words sink in. Everyone did a slow turn to Syaoran, who was now quite pale.  
  
"Syaoran…that's your name!" Sakura breathed. Tryon nodded.  
  
"And, seeing that Syaoran's favorite animal is the wolf…and the wolves seem to like us…" Tryon let the rest of the sentence hang.  
  
"So that is why they aren't vicious! This must mean that Syaoran is the reincarnation of that Prince…but…what about the rest of us?" Naoko asked.  
  
"Didn't the book mention that the prince had sisters? And didn't it also mention a princess who had a fiancée, but ditched him for the 'Wolf' prince?" Meiling asked. Tomoyo nodded slowly.  
  
"Well, that would explain Nora's dream, and why she had it…perhaps she is the reincarnation of one of the others…but that still doesn't explain about us. How am I involved, or Eriol, or Sakura, Naoko, Touya, and Meiling? And what about you?" Tomoyo asked. Suddenly, one of the wolves howled, and walked up to Tryon. It nudged him over beside Landon, and then nudged Naoko to face them. Then it moved on to Nora and shoved her next to Naoko, on Naoko's left. Syaoran was next to her, and then Sakura was next in line. Tomoyo was next, and then Eriol after her. Touya and Meiling finished off the line. They looked at them each-other in confusion, but didn't move.  
  
"Maybe it is trying to tell us something." Eriol suggested. They studied the formation carefully.  
  
"Why are Landon and Tyron over there?" Sakura asked, pointing at the brothers. Tryon was standing directly across from Ellanora, and Landon was across from Naoko. The wolf, realizing their confusion, gently butted the backs of Nora's knees, sending her careening into Tryon's arms. It did the same thing with Naoko and Landon, and then it moved on down the line. Sakura and Syaoran, Tomoyo and Eriol, Meiling and Touya. They were now in blushing couples, but Touya was starting to get the drift.  
  
"Landon and Tryon were across from us, which could mean a number of things. It could mean that we were enemies back then, or maybe we were from different countries, or perhaps they were in a different family, and all of us were a family." He suggested. Syaoran looked up in confusion.  
  
"If we were enemies, then why did the wolf push Nora and Naoko into Tryon and Landon?" He asked. Suddenly, Nora gasped.  
  
"Stop! They say that we are getting ahead of ourselves and that it is not safe to know anymore! The wolves say that we need to do…something." She trailed off and concentrated, her eyes shut tightly.  
  
"The rocks? What is on the rocks?" She asked, obviously talking to the wolves. After a while, she gave an exasperated sigh.  
  
"They keep repeating, 'Go to the rocks, read the rocks'." She announced. Everyone looked at each-other in confusion. Then Nora sighed again.  
  
"They say to go home and come again tomorrow, during the day-time." She said, gently patting the wolf that had helped them, and then leaving the clearing. The others followed her example and they were soon back at the palace.  
  
"I am going right to bed." Meiling moaned, slouching into her bedroom. Touya followed her example, Sakura was already half-asleep, her head lulling on Syaoran's shoulder. He quickly picked her up and carried her into her room. Eriol helped Tomoyo into her room, and shut the door behind them. Naoko said a tired 'goodnight' and then shut her bedroom door behind her. Poor Ellanora had used up all her energy talking to the wolves, and had fallen asleep on the way home. Tryon was still carrying the girl, and went into her room to put her to sleep. Landon followed, and when Nora was all settled in, they gave each-other tired nods and then they disappeared together into the shadows.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
D.L:  
  
Daphne: "Well, I tried to clear it up a bit for you, but I'm not sure whether or not it worked. Oh well! I hope that you liked this chapter, and I would really appreciate it if you kept reviewing! Well, I am really tired, so I had better get off…"  
  
Kero: sees Daphne walk over to her bed and immediately fall asleep "Sorry about that, folks! She had a big day today! (A huge Biology test in school, and then she baby-sat for Meiling and Touya's four-month-old twins, Sora and Tyr, this afternoon! What a pain!) Anyway, I think that I am going to shut down the computer now, so ta-ta!" 


	8. Reading the Rocks

Daphne: loud music is playing in the background, and you see Kero dancing across a table filled with food. Spinnel is in the background, flying around crazily and acting drunk. Nakuru is following him, giggling, and Yue is standing in the background, looking bored. "Great party, huh girls?"  
  
Eli: "I'm not a girl!"  
  
Daphne: "Consider yourself one for tonight! Anyway, it's my birthday!" I give a high-pitched squeal and start dancing excitedly around the room.  
  
Eli: "I thought that it was MY birthday! After all, I turned seventeen at approximately eleven-thirty-seven this morning…" He is cut off as a group of girls surrounds him and start to swoon. He sweat drops and looks longingly over at me talking to one of my other friends. He sighs, manages to get away from the girls, and runs upstairs into my room…  
  
Eli: "Kero, what are you writing?! And…what are you doing up here?"  
  
Kero: "Same thing you are…getting away from those freaky party-goers!"  
  
Eli: "What are you doing?" Walks over to my computer "Kero!!!! What would Daphne say if she were to find out that you are writing as her?"  
  
Kero: *Sweat drop* "She won't find out, or else I will give her your diary…you don't want her to know about those dreams that you have been having about her…mupht!"  
  
Eli: Covering Kero's mouth "FINE! Just don't tell her! Now, how about we get on with the story?"  
  
Kero: "But it's your birthday party down there…"  
  
Eli: "Anything is better than hanging around down there. I want to live a few more years, but if I go down there, I am just screaming 'Kill me'!"  
  
Kero: Laughs "Fine, you can help me write this. On with the story!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 8.  
  
"Master Syaoran? Your mother says that it is time for you to get up." Came Wei's voice. Syaoran moaned and pulled the blankets up over his head. Then he heard Wei sigh and leave the room. Syaoran turned over and was about to go back to sleep when a small hand pressed up to his cheek. He opened his eyes alertly, only to find himself starring into a pair of emerald-green eyes. Sakura smiled.  
  
"We have training today, Syao-kun!" She whispered. He grimaced at the nick- name, but obeyed her and go out of bed.  
  
"Oh good! You get dressed while I tell Wei that you're up!" She skipped out of the room, unaware of Syaoran's glare. Wei always knew the best ways of waking him up, and this was the latest. Syaoran sighed, and a small smile came to his lips.  
  
'Well, I'd rather wake up to Sakura's face than Wei's!' He thought, quickly getting dressed and hurrying out to the hallway.  
  
"…the whole class is going to be there! This is going to be fun!" Meiling was saying. Suddenly, Syaoran got a bad feeling in the pit of his stomach.  
  
"What is going to be fun?" He growled. Three guilty faces turned toward him. Sakura, quick to shield the other girls from Syaoran's rage, gently hugged him and put her hands up to his face.  
  
"Mrs. Yelan wanted the class to see the types of training that you do here, so they are going to watch us today." She admitted, hoping that he would not get mad at her. Little did she know, that with her hands on his face, and her body so close, there was no possible way that he could get mad! All he could do was nod and then smile gently as Nora grabbed his arm and they started out to the training ground.  
  
"Syao-kun, you visibly turned to mush, just now! You really have changed since I last saw you!" Nora whispered, her eyes twinkling with delight. She knew that there was no way that Syaoran could deny Sakura anything. He glared at her, but when he caught her understanding smile, he tightened his grip on her arm.  
  
"You are so lucky that you are my twin, or you would be crushed to a pulp right now!" He teased, as they entered the arena. Nora grinned and gently punched his arm before going to the first station. At Wei's signal, they started their drills.  
  
Soon, it was time for them to work on their swordsmanship. Each of the four had their swords in scabbards on their backs. Even Sakura had a special holder, just for her Clow-sword.  
  
"The same as yesterday?" Sakura asked, looking at Nora, who was across from her. Nora nodded. Wei gave the signal, and with in swift movement, all four young people drew their swords as one.  
  
The spectators gasped as the swords clanked together. Nora fought Sakura and Meiling fought Syaoran. They went quickly through the normal routine, and when that was done, Nora shot a sly look at Sakura. Sakura read it, hesitated, and then nodded. Suddenly, Nora broke out of the formation and bounded into a triple-backflip. She ended just in time to stop Sakura's blade in mid-swing. Sakura then broke the contact and flipped into a double cartwheel, ending with a roll-out and blocked Nora's blade. Meiling and Syaoran quickly followed their example, and soon, the four were flipping and spinning their way around the entire arena, fighting against one person, and then another.  
  
Sakura's blade crashed with Meiling's, and Syaoran blocked Nora's attack. Syaoran flipped over and then caught Sakura's blade, just as it was about to make contact with Meiling's. Nora turned in time to see Meiling aiming at her, and she attacked full-scale. Then, Sakura broke out of the fight, and flipped back to the other side of the arena. The rest followed, and soon, they were all fighting again. Nora then rushed over to the another corner, and the others followed. One by one, the four led each-other into different areas, fighting there, and then switching again, until Wei signaled them to finish. The four opponents bowed to each other, and then at Wei. They silently left the arena, but as soon as they were out, Sakura burst into giggles.  
  
"Did you see their faces?" She asked, looking tired. Nora giggled and nodded.  
  
"That was exhilarating, but we had better hurry if we want to make it in time for lunch!" Meiling announced, walking into the showers. The others quickly followed her example. Nora was about to un-button her dress when a voice rang out.  
  
"Hi!"  
  
"Tryon! What are you doing in here?!" Nora screeched. Tryon grinned and looked smug.  
  
"Two reasons. One, to congratulate you on your performance in the arena, and two, I wanted to confirm the time that we are going into the forest." He answered. She blushed.  
  
"Thank you, and one 'o' clock this afternoon. Now…can I take my shower?" She asked. He chuckled slyly.  
  
"Sure!" He said, leaning against the wall and crossing his arms. She turned red and gave an exasperated sigh. Then an evil and wonderful plan entered her head.  
  
"Oh, all right. You can take a shower with me!" She relented slyly, reaching up to unbutton her dress. His eyes widened with shock, and his face turned as red as a ghosts possibly could, then he disappeared. Nora laughed.  
  
"Sucker!" She shouted, taking off her dress and stepping into the shower. It felt good to get back at him.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Sakura! Where did you learn to do that?" Rika asked, later at lunch.  
  
"They taught me yesterday morning." She answered.  
  
"Kakkoii! (Cool!) It is lucky that we take gymnastics at school!" Naoko commented. Sakura nodded, and then eyed her watch. She looked at Nora, who nodded quickly and turned to her mother.  
  
"Mama, may we please be excused? We have something planned for this afternoon." She explained. Yelan nodded, and the eight mystery-solvers jumped up from the table.  
  
"Took you long enough!" Tryon called as they entered the gardens. Nora turned and flashed him a evil smile.  
  
"Be nice, or I will tell them all about my shower this morning!" She threatened. Tryon blushed and turned away as Syaoran sent him a death- glare.  
  
"Hurry! The wolves are expecting us!" Nora announced, as they hurried into the forest. When they got to the clearing, the wolves were out and playing. Sakura gave a happy squeal and ran to a group of wolf-pups. Tomoyo joined her, and picked up a brown and white one. Sakura was playing with a honey- colored one, and Meiling was petting a brown-bodied, white pawed pup.  
  
"Look at this one!" Nora cried, picking up a tiny, pure white baby. It had intelligent blue eyes, and it gave a happy squeak when she cuddled it. This was obviously the runt of the pack.  
  
"Hello? We are here to 'read the rocks', whatever that means, *not* slobber over wolf pups!" Tryon reminded them. Nora glared at him and then sighed.  
  
"Fine. But read what rocks?" She asked. Suddenly, the wolf that had helped them last night came up beside Syaoran and sat down. It was then that they noticed that it was only about six months old. It had pure black hair, except for a band of caramel-colored hair around its scruff.  
  
"Syaoran, it likes you!" Sakura cried in delight. Naoko walked over to the wolves den, and picked up a lone black and white pup. Suddenly, she spotted something on the rocks of the wolf den and gasped.  
  
"You may want to come see this!" She exclaimed. Everyone hurried over and stood, dumbfounded.  
  
"Words!" Sakura gasped. Strange words covered the rocks of the wolf den. Eriol climbed up on top of it, and read them.  
  
"It says, '…This is my place. This is my pack, my second family…'." Eriol translated. At these words, the wolf beside Syaoran gave a howl, and brushed against Syaoran's legs.  
  
"…I am one of them. Kahnu, my pack-mate, is my brother." At this, the wolf howled again. Syaoran bend down, and looked into the wolf's eyes.  
  
"Kahnu." He said slowly. The wolf stared at him, its eyes shining.  
  
"…today, I invited Aya to come. She accepted. After being welcomed into the pack, little Rinyah became her pack-mate…" As Eriol said the second name, the pup in Nora's arms looked up and squealed.  
  
"…being my sister, it comes as no surprise that Aya is welcomed so…" Eriol paused.  
  
"The next part is very blurry, and then it trails off all together, until…here." He pointed at a place on the rock. It was words, carved into a circular design, that ended in the middle of the circle.  
  
"What does it mean?" Touya asked.  
  
"It means that we will have to come back tonight." Eriol answered. They all looked at him in confusion.  
  
"Why?" Landon asked. Eriol pointed up at the darkening sky, and they understood. It would be dark soon.  
  
"So…we all meet back here tonight." Meiling said. Eriol shook his head.  
  
"No. This time, you and Touya will stay behind, just in case something happens." Eriol explained, when he saw that Meiling was about to complain. She sighed, and then nodded slowly.  
  
"Good. We had better go. Dinner will be soon." Syaoran said, petting the wolf, Kahnu. Nora gently put down the pup she was holding, and started to follow the others out of the clearing. She looked back for one last glimpse, and then she stifled a scream.  
  
A girl identical to her was standing in the clearing, petting the little white wolf pup! Nora looked down at herself in horror, and then back at the girl; but the girl had vanished!  
  
"N…Nora…was th…that a real gh…gh…ghost?" Sakura stuttered out, trembling in fear. She had been sent back to find Nora. Nora turned and hugged her.  
  
"I don't know, but whatever or whoever she was, she had better watch out, because we are watching!" Nora threatened, still a little shaken but trying to sound brave. Sakura nodded, and then they left the clearing together.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Are you ready?" Asked Landon, appearing beside Syaoran. The eight young people were waiting in the hallway.  
  
"You'd better take care of Sakura, gaki, or else I will have your head!" Touya threatened.  
  
"Be careful!" Meiling whispered, hugging each of the girls in turn, and then hugging Syaoran. Then the six that were going set out.  
  
"Please be careful!" Meiling repeated, tears filling her eyes. She did not have a good feeling about this.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Maybe we have to decipher it." Landon suggested, eyeing the circle of words. Eriol frowned.  
  
"I don't think so. It seems more like a key." He said.  
  
"A key?" Tryon asked snidely.  
  
"Yes, a key. Perhaps we must do something to it, or trigger it to do something." Eriol said, running his fingers across the circle and looking at Syaoran. Syaoran was sitting cross-legged on the ground. Kahnu was next to him, and the wolf had put his head in Syaoran's lap.  
  
"…ok Sakura!, now you go over there, and Naoko, you stand next to her…" Tomoyo was instructing the girls, her camera trained on their faces.  
  
"Tomoyo, we're here to figure out this mystery! Not tape everyone *not* working." Tryon called, emphasizing the 'not'!  
  
"Oh, sorry!" Tomoyo said, sweat dropping, and turning off the camera.  
  
"Ugh! This is aggravating!" Tryon complained, rolling his eyes at the girls. Tomoyo had moved closer to Sakura, and was now petting the white and brown pup. Sakura was laying on the ground, with the honey-colored pup on her stomach. Nora was next to her, gently rubbing the little white's stomach.. Naoko was next to Nora, gently holding the little black and white pup.  
  
"I will call you Akita." She whispered to it. The name had suddenly come to her, and it seemed to fit the pup. Finally, Nora got up and sighed, the little pup still cradled in her arms.  
  
"There has to be some way to solve this!" She murmured, gently running her first finger along the twinning words, and then putting her hand on the design in frustration. All at once, there was a great boom, like thunder, and then the wind began to blow violently.  
  
"What…is…happening?" Sakura shrieked, as she was blown into Syaoran's arms. Tomoyo tripped and fell to the ground with a small cry. Nora screamed and dropped the baby wolf, and Naoko, who had been trying to reach her, was blown into Landon, and they both fell to the ground.  
  
"Everyone!? Grab hands!" Eriol yelled, helping Tomoyo up and then struggling over to Tryon, Landon and Naoko. Sakura, Nora and Syaoran stumbled over, and then the six of them clasped hands.  
  
"Don't let go!" Tryon shouted over the wind. Suddenly, they all felt something grasping their feet, and the group was dragged into a twirling black mass of nothingness.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Syaoran!? Nora? Sakura!! Where are you?!" Cried Meiling, as she, Touya, Yelan and some bodyguards ran into the clearing the next day. The clearing was empty, and there was no sign of the wolves.  
  
"SAKURA?! Where are you? This isn't funny, kaijuu!" Touya shouted, his fear getting the better of him.  
  
"Why did they come here?" Yelan asked, her voice shaking with anger. Meiling hesitated, and then told her the whole story.  
  
"…so we let them go alone. I think that Eriol knew that we would need to help them." Meiling finished. Now, Yelan looked pale and shaken.  
  
"What's that?" Touya asked, pointing at something shining in the middle of the clearing. Meiling ran forward and gasped.  
  
"It's Tomoyo's camera!" She gasped. Now they knew that something was wrong. Tomoyo's camera never left the girl's hand! She never stopped taping things.  
  
"Perhaps this camera will hold some answers." Yelan suggested, taking the camera from Meiling.  
  
"Mrs. Li? You may want to have a look at this!" Called one of the guards. Yelan hurried over and stopped, speechless.  
  
"The words have changed! We can read them now!" Meiling gasped. Touya quickly stepped forward and read aloud:  
  
Those who have entered, will never return,  
  
until the first brother is defeated.  
  
Evil and sly, not easy to beat,  
  
Aya is what he is aiming to keep.  
  
But alas, second of birth has stolen her heart,  
  
and from this, a battle shall start.  
  
Those who have entered here, will be called to fight;  
  
luck, however, will not be on their side.  
  
Hidden in confusion and disguised in youth,  
  
only these young people will know the truth.  
  
Danger ahead, and lies all around,  
  
eight last hopes, are all that will be found!  
  
Saving their future, and protecting their pasts,  
  
for if they do not, they will never come back!  
  
"That's the end." He commented in a broken voice. Meiling had tears running down her face, and Yelan was deathly pale.  
  
"There is nothing that we can do, then." Yelan commented in a strangled voice. Meiling sobbed even harder.  
  
"They might never come back!? How can this be? How could this one little vacation turn into a life or death matter?" Meiling moaned.  
  
"There is something worse. If they don't succeed, we may never…we may disappear as well. I have a feeling that what they are fighting for back there, is our very existence." He murmured, gently pulling the distraught Meiling into his arms.  
  
"Mrs. Li, we had best be getting back if there is nothing more we can do." One of the bodyguards commented. Yelan nodded, her face white and strained. As the group walked out of the clearing, many eyes peered out from between the rocks of the den.  
  
The wolves were waiting. Two pups came out into the open, and looked longingly after the distraught group. One was a gray and white pup, that seemed to have been taken with Touya, the other, a brown-bodied, white footed pup who longed for Meiling to come back. Inside the den, a mournful howl was heard and then several sad little squeaks rang out in chorus. Yes, the wolves were waiting. Waiting for their pack-mates to come back home.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Kero: "Now, you may be wondering where I am this whole time…well, I'll tell you! I was hidden in one of Sakura's pockets. I should pop up in the next chapter, but knowing Daphne, she will cut me out of all but a few lines! Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter. I wrote it mostly off of Daphne's rough-draft of this chapter, but I made some minor changes!  
  
Daphne: I walk into the room and see Kero and Eli, who is asleep on my bed "Kero?! What are you doing up here? Everyone is looking for Eli…"  
  
Kero: "Shhh! He's asleep! This party really whipped him out!"  
  
Daphne: *Sigh* "All right. Hey Kero! You actually wrote a decent chapter, instead of trying to mess-up the lines and confuse our reviewers! I'm proud of you!"  
  
Eli: Rolls over on the bed and mumbles something about 'Daphne' and 'nice party'  
  
Daphne: I smile and then cover him with my comforter "Well, we're lucky that his parents gave him permission to sleep over tonight. I'll just sleep in the guest-room."  
  
Kero: "So, how was the party?"  
  
Daphne: "All right, except…someone spiked the punch. Mom and dad are *not* happy!"  
  
Kero: looks alarmed "You didn't drink any, did you?"  
  
Daphne: "Of course not! I stay away from things like that at parties. Anyway, what are you writing now?  
  
Kero: "I'm almost done. I just have to ask them to review…"  
  
Daphne: "All right, well, please review, and thanks again to all the people who have reviewed so far! I really appreciate it! Every review counts to me! OH! By the way! Just in case you didn't understand how to pronounce some of those names, here they are:  
  
Kahnu = (Kah-new)  
  
Aya = (eye-ya)  
  
Rinyah = (Rin-ya)  
  
Akita = (Ah-keet-ah)  
  
I think that this is all you need to know, for now! But just for an added bonus, here is a sneak-peak of the next chapter!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
In the corner of her mind, Sakura heard voices. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She was in a strange and unfamiliar room, that looked enormous. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes with her small fists.  
  
~ Where am I? ~ She wondered, her emerald eyes studying her surroundings. It was then that she noticed how very big the bed was, and…how very small she had become!  
  
~ What happened to me?! I have shrunk! ~ She thought, her eyes filling with terrified tears. Unable to contain her emotions, she let out a loud wail  
  
"Mommy!" A voice, so like, and yet, so unlike her own voice erupted out of Sakura's throat. It was the voice of a small child! 


	9. We're in the Past, but what has happened...

Daphne: I am walking around my room, reading a note "'…got to go study for my Chemistry test! (Yuck!) See you tomorrow! - Eli.'"  
  
Kero: "That is the third time that you have read that letter in the past ten minutes. Can we get on with the story?"  
  
Daphne: "Huh? Oh, yah! Sorry! I got a note from Eli today, and I was just reading it. Anyway, I am going to warn you ahead of time, this chapter is a little different! It will have a key at the beginning of the story, so you can understand better. So…here we go!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Key:  
  
~ Sakura's thoughts ~  
  
'Syaoran's thoughts'  
  
*Nora's thoughts*  
  
Eriol's thoughts  
  
**Tomoyo's thoughts**  
  
^Naoko's thoughts^  
  
+Tryon's thoughts+  
  
=Landon's thoughts=  
  
Any other thoughts will be in the normal '' form, all right? Just don't confuse them with Syaoran's thoughts!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 9.  
  
*Sakura's POV*  
  
In the corner of her mind, Sakura heard voices. She slowly opened her eyes, and looked around. She was in a strange and unfamiliar room, that looked enormous. Sakura sat up and rubbed her eyes with her small fists.  
  
~ Where am I? ~ She wondered, her emerald eyes studying her surroundings. It was then that she noticed how very big the bed was, and…how very small she had become!  
  
~ What happened to me?! I have shrunk! ~ She thought, her eyes filling with terrified tears. Unable to contain her emotions, she let out a loud wail  
  
"Mommy!" A voice, so like and yet, so unlike her own voice erupted out of Sakura's throat. It was the voice of a small child!  
  
"Mistress Lilly! Child, what is the matter?" An old woman came running into the room, her face worried. Sakura cried even harder.  
  
"I wan'ta go home! I want my friends! Where am I?" Sakura sobbed. The old woman gently picked up the tiny Sakura and hugged her.  
  
"Oh, honey! It was just a bad dream! You are at home, with me and your mommy and daddy and your older brother Micha and your older sister Ying- fa!" The old woman consoled. At the name 'Ying-fa', Sakura stopped crying and looked up.  
  
"Who are you?" She asked. The woman looked surprised.  
  
"I am your nurse, Menni, you silly goose!" She answered. Sakura, realizing that something had happened, decided to make this into a game so the nurse would not get suspicious.  
  
"And how old am I?" She asked, as though she was testing the woman. The nurse, now sure that 'Lilly' was playing with her, smiled.  
  
"You are four years old, and very beautiful!" She laughed. Sakura gave a childish smile. Then she realized something else. No matter how advanced her mind was, her body and mouth were still a four-year-old's! She had no control over them!  
  
"Who am I, and where do I live?" Sakura asked, a small giggle escaping her.  
  
"You are Princess Lillian, of the Kingdom of Aramer." Menni, the nurse answered, putting Sakura down and going over to a big wardrobe and opening it.  
  
"Who are my mommy and daddy?" Sakura chanted.  
  
"King Marcello, and Queen Beranda." Menni answered, emerging from the wardrobe with a beautiful dress made of pink silk and lace. From the style of the dress, Sakura realized that she had gone far back in time, how far, she did not know, nor did she really want to find out. The four-year-old side of her looked at the dress and was delighted at its beauty. Still, in her eleven-year-old mind, Sakura was pining for her absent friends.  
  
~ Syaoran, Nora, Tomoyo, Naoko? Where are you? Eriol? Landon, Tryon, everyone! Where am I and why aren't you here with me? ~ Sakura's mind screamed, as Menni quickly dressed her in the lovely dress.  
  
"Now let us go down and see your mother." Menni suggested. Four-year-old Sakura nodded brightly, and skipped away beside her nurse.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Ellanora/Syaoran/Naoko POV*  
  
Ellanora felt warm sunlight hitting her eyelids, and she opened her eyes. She was in a strange room, and her head ached.  
  
*Where am I?* She wondered, pulling back the covers and swinging her legs over the side of the bed. She looked down at herself, and then she screamed! She was looking down at legs that were so short, they didn't reach the floor. Her feet were tiny and as she gazed up her "new" body, she noticed that her hands were smaller as well. She gave another terrified scream, and then buried her head in her pillow, trying to sort out her memories.  
  
They had been in the clearing, and she had touched the circle, then the wind had come up, and they had held hands…and then nothing! Black!  
  
*Oh where are they?!* She wondered frantically, tears streaming down her face.  
  
"Sora! What is wrong?" Nora looked up to see…herself! A girl identical to what she used to look like stood before her! Except this one was a bit older, about eighteen. Nora gave another scream, and backed up against the pillows.  
  
"Where am I? Who are you?" Nora asked frantically. The older girl eyed her in shock.  
  
"Sora, what is wrong? You know me! I am your sister, Aya!" At this name, Nora/Sora turned pale and leaned forward a little. All at once, she realized what had happened! She had gone back in time! To the time of the 'Little wolf' prince, and his sister, Aya! Nora's heart hummed with successful happiness. Then it all ended, as a picture of Syaoran entered her head. Suddenly, there was a loud yell, and a small boy came running into the room, his face ashen. Nora recognized him.  
  
"Syaoran!" She cried. This young Syaoran looked over and a relieved sigh escaped his lips. He ran over to the bed, and leaned against it, since he couldn't climb up. Aya gave them funny looks.  
  
"Syaoran? Sora, his name is Symian." She said. Nora nodded and giggled childishly.  
  
"I was just teasing him!" She laughed. Suddenly, a voice entered her head.  
  
'Nora!'  
  
*Syaoran?*  
  
'Yes! We can mind talk. Do you realize what has happened?'  
  
*Yes. We have gone back in time, and have been place in the care of the very families that we belonged to when we lived here, except, we are four years old!* She mind/thought to him.  
  
'Exactly. How much do you want to bet that the others are here as well? I can feel Sakura's aura, and Eriol's as well. Tomoyo's is feint, but it is there. Naoko's, however, is quite close.  
  
*Let's try to call her then! Perhaps she will hear!* Nora suggested, Syaoran opened his eyes and nodded.  
  
*Naoko!*  
  
'Naoko!'  
  
^Nora? Syaoran? What is happening?! Where are we? I'm scared!^ Came Naoko's mind/thought.  
  
*Don't worry. Follow our…thoughts! We will explain later.* Nora called, just as the door opened.  
  
*By the way, call me 'Sora'. That is what they call me here.*  
  
^Ok!^  
  
"Sora?" Came a small voice. Nora looked over at the door and saw a tiny four-year-old girl, who's brown hair and brown eyes were unmistakably Naoko's.  
  
"Ah, Cousin Nira! How was your nap?" Aya asked. Naoko nodded, and padded over to the bed. Aya helped both Syaoran and Naoko onto the bed, and then sat down at the end of it, watching them talk. Their mouths were moving, and words were coming out, but in their minds, a whole different conversation was going on.  
  
^Where is everyone else?^  
  
*We know that they are here, but they are just as small as we have become. I suppose that it is for our own protection.* Nora commented.  
  
'Ugh, does this mean no more training?' Syaoran joked, Nora laughed.  
  
*I highly doubt that we will have any duties, here.* She answered.  
  
"Sora? Nira, Symian? It is time for lunch." Aya said. The three young children looked at her and smiled.  
  
"We coming!" Nora/Sora called.  
  
"I'm hungry!" Syaoran/Symian commented.  
  
"Me too!" Naoko/Nira added, as Aya lifted her off the bed.  
  
"I want to see my Xiao-lang!" Nora/Sora cried, looking adoringly up at her older sister. Aya smiled.  
  
"Fine. You shall see him at lunch!" She said, taking the little girl's hand. Nora smiled.  
  
*This is going to be fun!*  
  
'This is going to be interesting.' Syaoran corrected her.  
  
^Whatever it is, I hope that we find the others soon!^  
  
'*Yes!*' Nora and Syaoran chorused. (a/n: '* *' means that both of them are saying it at the same time!)  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Tomoyo POV*  
  
"Ugh!" Tomoyo moaned, sitting up in her bed and rubbing a bruised spot on the side of her head. She looked around the unfamiliar room and gasped.  
  
**Where am I?** She wondered, getting out of the small bed and going over to the door. Suddenly, the door burst open and a girl rushed in.  
  
"Trista, get a move on! We don't have all day!" The girl cried, and then rushed out of the room.  
  
"Wait! Meiling?" Tomoyo asked, her eyes filling with confusion. What was Meiling doing here?…Then it hit her! The wind and the black-hole! Her hand slipping form Eriol's and then Sakura had lost her grip as well. Falling…  
  
"Where am I?!?!" Tomoyo screamed. This brought results.  
  
"Trista, what is wrong?" The girl asked, running back into the room. Tomoyo eyed her suspiciously.  
  
"What did you call me? And who are you?" Tomoyo asked. The girl looked at her in amazement.  
  
"I called you Trista, and I am your best friend, Marcy." The girl answered in a confused voice. Tomoyo then realized what had happened to her, and where she was.  
  
**I wonder where the others are?** Tomoyo thought. Marcy looked up at her startled.  
  
"What did you say?" She asked. Tomoyo frowned.  
  
"I didn't say anything."  
  
"Yes you did! You said that you wondered where the others were." Marcy insisted. Tomoyo gasped.  
  
"You can hear my thoughts?" She asked. Marcy looked shocked.  
  
"I…I don't know." She stammered, looking scared.  
  
**You can, in fact, you just did. Now, it is your turn to try.** Tomoyo thought. Marcy's eyes widened.  
  
'Um…this is…interesting.' Marcy thought. Tomoyo's grin widened. She knew that she would have to tell Marcy to truth.  
  
"Marcy…you may want to sit down. This may take a little while." Tomoyo said, and then started to tell Marcy everything up until the time that she had woken up here.  
  
"So…so you don't belong in this time?! You are from the future?! And you know *me* there?" Marcy asked in astonishment. Tomoyo nodded.  
  
"Back there, your name is Meiling, and you are the cousin of a very powerful ruler…the ruler of Hong Kong!" Tomoyo announced, trying to make Marcy like the idea of being reincarnated. It worked.  
  
"Really?!! How fun! Is he kind?" She questioned. Tomoyo sweat-dropped.  
  
"Kind isn't really the word for him, well, until he met Sakura. Now he is quite kind, and not at all stiff, unless he is offended, or Sakura's brother annoys him. Marcy giggled.  
  
"He sounds funny…OH NO! I forgot! We are wanted in the kitchens immediately!" Marcy cried, jumping off the bed.  
  
"Wait! I'm a servant? For where?" Tomoyo asked. Marcy nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry. We work as servants to the King of Morantia. It will be hard to get used to, but…you are expected…" Marcy trailed off, and Tomoyo grinned.  
  
"No! This is perfect! I've always wondered what it would be like to be a servant! By the way…how old are you?"  
  
"I'm twelve, and you are eleven." Marcy said. Tomoyo nodded.  
  
"Same age as I was! Come on!" Tomoyo cried, hurrying out of the room, Marcy on her heals.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Eriol's POV*  
  
"This is interesting!" Eriol commented, looking around the room that he had woken up in. It was a large study, full of books and papers. As soon as he woke up, the Clow Reed side of him realized what had happened, and had refused to panic. Instead, he reached over the arm-rest of his seat, and pulled on the gold-toned rope next to it. immediately, a man rushed into the room.  
  
"What is it you want, Majesty?" The man asked. Eriol simply closed his eyes and scanned the man's mind. In it, he found all the information that he needed.  
  
He was Prince Derrick of Narcisala, a kingdom not far from the kingdoms of Morantia and Aramer. His father was King Moraines, and his mother was Queen Tarainita. He was, of course, eleven years old, and he had an older brother, Ellis. Prince Derrick had no friends, and was very anti-social. In a few days, he was expected to join his parents and brother on a trip to the kingdom of Aramer, for the birthday of their daughter, Ying-fa. She had two siblings, an older brother, Tragard, and a younger sister, Lillian. He could have probed the servant's mind more, but he chose not to. He had found out all that he needed for present.  
  
"Thank you, you may go." He said, turning away. The servant gave him a funny look, and left the room.  
  
This is perfect! We have all made it, though some of us are not at all the same… He thought about the little princess, Lillian, and smiled. Sakura or Lillian, as she was called here, was now trapped in a four-year-old's body! Eriol hoped that she still had the Star key with her. They would need it later.  
  
I wonder what my cute little descendant looks like now? He wondered, with a smirk.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Tryon and Landon's POV*  
  
"Oh my…"  
  
"Tryon, don't you dare curse!" Landon warned, as they looked around the room in horror. They were in a strange room, filled with furniture and musical instruments.  
  
"This looked like our music-room at home" Tryon mussed. Landon nodded.  
  
"Do you have any idea were we are?" Landon asked. Tryon looked thoughtful.  
  
"We were trying to see what that circle did, right? Well, maybe when Nora did that thing with her hand, she activated it." He commented.  
  
"But where are we?"  
  
"Probably the only place we could be! We are in the 'wolf-prince's' time!" Tryon exclaimed, looking around. Suddenly, a side-door burst open, and a woman walked into the room.  
  
"Oh, boys! I have no time to play for you today! We are preparing for our journey!" She exclaimed. Landon and Tryon looked at each-other in confusion.  
  
"What journey?" Tryon asked. The woman looked at him in confusion.  
  
"Ugh, Tarnor, you have the worst memory a boy could have! We are going to Aramer, of course, to celebrate Princess Ying-fa's eighteenth birthday!" The woman announced. Tryon, determined to get more information, decided to play dumb for a few more minutes.  
  
"And who are you?" He asked, scratching his head. The woman looked aggravated.  
  
"I am your nurse, Amerilla, and unless you have forgotten, this is your brother, Lord Regen. And you are the sons of Lord Henreik.  
  
"He is a lord?" Tryon asked in rage, pointing at his brother.  
  
"You are a Lord as well! My, you really are forgetful. Next thing I know, you will be running around, telling me that you don't know where you live!" Their nurse exclaimed, walking out of the room. Tryon and Landon looked at each-other and shrugged.  
  
"We'd better not ask." Landon said, rolling his eyes. Tryon agreed.  
  
+I wonder where the others are?+ Tryon asked. Landon shrugged and then they went to find a servant to help them find their way to their rooms.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Daphne: "This chapter was a bit shorter, I know, but I thought that you might appreciate knowing what happened to them. Now, you might have noticed that when the characters went back in time, their ages changed and so did their names, so here are their ages and new names now.  
  
Sakura/Lillian: Four years old  
  
Syaoran/Symian: Four  
  
Nora/Sora: Four  
  
Naoko/Nira: Four  
  
Tomoyo/Trista: Eleven  
  
Eriol/Derrick: Eleven  
  
Meiling/Marcy: Eleven (Even though Meiling and Touya are not there, I am going to have the group meet-up with their earlier forms anyway.  
  
Tryon/Tenor: Fifteen  
  
Landon/Regen: Eleven  
  
Daphne: "Now you may be wondering where the evil is. Well…it is a lot closer than you may think. You may also notice that Sakura, Nora, and Syaoran all have older forms of themselves in the past. Well, the others do too, but you haven't really met them yet. Eriol's older form was mentioned, and that is his older 'brother', Ellis, but you don't get to meet any of them until the next chapter, sorry! Well, I think that that is all I have to say, except, 'thank you' to all of you out there who have reviewed this story, and to please, please, PLEASE KEEP REVIEWING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 


	10. The Ball and the Reunion

Daphne: I am yelling down the stairs to my mother "Mom! Have you seen my shirt?"  
  
Sakura: "What shirt?"  
  
Daphne: "The pink one with the words on it that say: 'I'm not opinionated, I'm just always right'!"  
  
Sakura: "I think that it is in the laundry room."  
  
Daphne: "Thanks!" I turn to Kero, who is reading a comic-book on by bed "Kero are you done packing yet?"  
  
Kero: "Yah."  
  
Daphne: "What did you pack?"  
  
Kero: "A few of my video games, some comic books, chocolate…um…and food."  
  
Daphne: *Sweat drop* "Is that all? Kero, you need help!"  
  
Kero: "Daphne, we are going on a trip for Spring Break! It is not like we are going for a month!"  
  
Daphne: *sigh* "Whatever! Anyway, as you can see, Kero and I are packing to go on a trip. We are going to visit grandma Yelan and my aunts and cousins, so I will not be able to write for a few days. I am going to post this chapter, if I can, today.  
  
Syaoran: sticks his head into my room "Honey, are you all packed?"  
  
Daphne: "Almost."  
  
Syaoran: "Good. As soon as you are done writing, finish packing and then come downstairs and help us pack the car up."  
  
Daphne: "All right!" Syaoran leaves the room "Well, I have to hurry! I really hope that you are enjoying this story, thank you for reviewing it, and please, please keep reviewing!!!!!!!!!  
  
Kero: "You'd better hurry, Daph!"  
  
Daphne: "Fine!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 10.  
  
  
  
*In the Palace of Aramer*  
  
"Lilly, how do I look?" Ying-fa asked, twirling around. Lilly/Sakura gave a delighted squeal and clapped her hands.  
  
"Pretty!" She commented, climbing off Ying-fa's bed and going over to her. Ying-fa was wearing a lovely full-skirted green ball gown. It had ruffles at the end of the skirt, and was trimmed with white lace. It had a rounded neckline, that was a bit lower than her other dresses, but was still relatively modest. Her waist-length auburn hair was pulled up into little ringlets at the top of her head.  
  
"I hope he will like it." Ying-fa whispered to herself, unconsciously running her hands over her tiny waist and down the skirt of her gown. Sakura smiled cheekily.  
  
"Xiao-lang!" She shrilled, looking up at her older 'sister'. Ying-fa looked at the little girl in astonishment.  
  
"How did you know about him?" She managed to gasp out. Sakura giggled.  
  
"You love him! I love my Syao-kun as well!" Sakura said carefully, so every word was clear. At this, Ying-fa smiled gently.  
  
"You are too young to know what love is!" She commented.  
  
'You have no idea!' Sakura thought, but outloud, her words were different.  
  
"You'll see!" She chirped, following Ying-fa out of the room.  
  
"Come now, Lilly. Let you get your gown on." Ying-fa said, taking Sakura's hand, and leading her down the hall. Suddenly, a door to their left opened, revealing a tall young man with dark brown hair and sparkling brown eyes. He looked to be about sixteen years old. It was Micha, Ying-fa's brother. When Sakura had first met him, it had shocked her that he was slightly younger than her past form. In Sakura's time, Touya was older than her, but in this time, she was older than him!  
  
"Sister dear, you look stunning!" Micha commented, taking Ying-fa's hands. She blushed and thanked him.  
  
'Why can't Touya be this nice?!' Sakura wondered.  
  
"Little Lillian, how do you fair today?" He asked. Sakura smiled. He still had pet names for her, although, in this time, they were a bit nicer than Touya's!  
  
"Well!" She answered, blinking cutely at him. He grinned, and then returned to his room and the girls walked on to Sakura's room.  
  
"Now, what shall we dress you in? I want you to look pretty…ah! Here we are!" Ying-fa announced, as she dug through Sakura's wardrobe. She came out with a pink dress in her hands.  
  
"This will do nicely! What do you think?" Ying-fa asked, holding out the gown. The dress had a full-skirt, and the sleeves were three-quarter sleeves, ending in lace. (a/n: Picture Bell's pink gown from the movie 'Beauty and the Beast'. It is exactly the same, only shrunk for Sakura's use!)  
  
"Ohhh!" Sakura gasped, as Ying-fa helped her into the gown.  
  
"There! You look lovely!"  
  
"She does!" Came another voice. It was Dedra, Ying-fa's personal maid and best friend. She was eighteen, and had lovely hair and eyes, just like Tomoyo's.  
  
'She is also Tomoyo's past form!' Sakura thought, eyeing the black-haired girl and then smiling.  
  
"Dedra, will you do my hair? Please?" Sakura begged. Dedra smiled.  
  
"Of course I will! Sit here…" She sat Sakura down at the vanity. She pulled Sakura's hair back into a half pony-tail, and then twisted the hair a few times. She finished off the picture, by curling the ends of Sakura's hair into little ringlets.  
  
"All done!" Dedra announced.  
  
"Dedra, is you little sister coming?" Ying-fa asked.  
  
"Yes. She says that she was even given permission to make her own dress! It's funny; I never knew that Trista enjoyed making cloths…"  
  
'Bingo! I've found Tomoyo!' Sakura thought in triumph.  
  
"How old is Trista?" Sakura asked outloud.  
  
"She is eleven." Dedra answered. Sakura gasped. This girl *had* to be Tomoyo…but why hadn't her age changed as well? Suddenly, there came a knock on the door.  
  
"Mistresses? It is almost time for you entrance." A servant called.  
  
"Thank you! Come Lilly! You are to enter after me." Ying-fa said, taking Sakura's hand.  
  
"I shall see you downstairs!" Dedra called after them.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh Tomoyo…I mean, Trista!" Marcy corrected herself quickly. "You look lovely!"  
  
"You do as well!" Tomoyo commented, eyeing her handiwork. Marcy was wearing a royal-blue gown that Tomoyo had made for her. Marcy's hair was in a pulled back into a pony-tail, and then folded up, into a fan-like design, then secured with blue ribbons. Tomoyo was wearing a lavender gown, that was trimmed with white lace. Her hair was braided, and then twinned around her head and secured with lavender ribbons.  
  
"I wonder if Sakura will be here…" Tomoyo mussed.  
  
"That is your friend, right? well, if Princess Ying-fa is her past form, then it is a sure bet that Sakura is near-by." Marcy commented, at they walked towards the ballroom. They had arrived at Aramer Palace that afternoon, and were now waiting for the party to begin. Suddenly, a loud blast of music filled the hall.  
  
"Time to go!" Marcy whispered, as they entered the ballroom together.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, pretty!" Sora/Nora squealed as they pulled up in front of Aramer Palace. Naoko and Syaoran nodded in agreement.  
  
'I feel Sakura's aura!' Syaoran thought/spoke to them.  
  
'I do too.' Nora chimed.  
  
'I don't, but I'll take your word for it!' Naoko put in, as they climbed out of the carriage. They had been riding with Aya, Xiao-lang, and Rina, Naoko's past form.  
  
"Isn't it lovely at night!" Aya commented to Xiao-lang.  
  
"Yes, she is." He answered, looking off into the distance. Rina, Aya, Nora and Naoko all giggled.  
  
"I think that she meant the palace, not Ying-fa!" Rina teased, bopping him gently on the head. He blushed and looked away.  
  
"Why don't you just admit that you love her?!" Aya whispered as they walked into the palace.  
  
"Because I don't…"  
  
"He loves her, he loves her!" Nora and Naoko chimed in sing-song voices.  
  
'You two are acting like children!' Syaoran groaned.  
  
'Uh…Syaoran, if you haven't noticed…we are children!' Nora reminded him.  
  
'That doesn't mean that you have to act like it!' He retorted. She frowned at him, but stayed silent as they entered into the ballroom. It was already filled with people.  
  
"Look! There is Lord Henreik! And there are his sons and nephews beside him!" Aya whispered. At the word, 'nephews', Rina turned red.  
  
"Is…is Victor there?" She asked hesitantly. Aya grinned.  
  
"He most certainly is! And his cute little cousin who looks like him is too." Aya answered.  
  
"Oh, look! There is Dedra!" Rina hissed.  
  
"Who?" Aya asked.  
  
"You know! Ying-fa's best friend!"  
  
"Oh yes! The servant. Well, actually, she is more of a lady-in-waiting, now."  
  
"She is lovely! We will have to invite her to come, as well." Rina whispered.  
  
"Come where?" Asked Xiao-lang. The two older girls grinned at each other slyly.  
  
"Oh, haven't you heard? Father has invited all of our friends to come on a visit! They are staying at our palace for a whole month!" Aya said.  
  
"Who is?" He questioned, still confused.  
  
"Well, there is Ying-fa, and Micha, Lillian, Lord Tarnor, and his brother Lord Regen, Prince Raynar and his brother Prince Derrick, Dedra and her sister, Trista, and Trista is bringing a friend, named Marcy." Rina answered. Xiao-lang turned pale.  
  
"That is a lot of people. How…how will we keep them from finding out about…you know…the wolves?" Xiao-lang whispered. Aya sighed in frustration.  
  
"Honestly! Ying-fa and Micha already know about them, and so does Prince Raynar and his little brother! They all have pack-mates, and I do not think that it will be hard for the others to join as well…" She commented.  
  
"Shhh! Ying-fa is coming!" Rina hissed, as the entrance music began to play. Xiao-lang looked up just in time to see Ying-fa come into view. He caught his breath, and bowed as she passed him. She quickly walked up to her father, gave him a kiss on the cheek, and then looked over at Aya. Aya gave a happy smile, and quickly made her way over to Ying-fa to give her a hug. Rina quickly followed, and then Dedra came forward. Then Raynar stepped forward and kissed her hand. Xiao-lang was last, and he did the same thing, except when he kissed her hand, Ying-fa blushed and looked away quickly. Her little sister was just coming down the stairs, and was smiling innocently at everyone. Ying-fa smiled as she noticed just how pretty her younger sister was. Lillian's green eyes sparkled at everyone, and her cheeks were flushed a pretty pink. Everyone smiled when they caught sight of the little princess making her way down the stairs. Suddenly, a young voice broke through the spell.  
  
"Sakura!!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Sakura looked around in shock, and spotted Syaoran running towards her. She rushed down the last few steps and threw herself into the little boy's arms.  
  
"Syao-kun!" She sobbed, burying her head in his shoulder.  
  
'I thought that I would never see you again!' She thought/spoke, in a broken voice.  
  
'Don't worry. I'm here now.' He replied, hugging her tightly.  
  
"Sakura!" Came two more voices. Sakura looked up to see two little girls, just her age running towards her.  
  
"Nora! Naoko!" She cried, as they joined in the hug-fest.  
  
'We missed you so much!'  
  
'Sakura! We just saw Eriol! He is still eleven though! It's not fair!' Nora complained.  
  
'Maybe they stayed the same for a reason.' Sakura commented.  
  
"Well, well, what have we here?" Came another voice.  
  
"Eriol!" The girls shrieked. Sakura hugged him and he picked her up.  
  
'We have different names here. This is going to be very confusing!' He commented in his mind.  
  
'Yes!' The others chorused.  
  
"Eriol?" Came a soft, shaky voice. The small group turned around to see a very pale Tomoyo looking at them in shock.  
  
"Tomoyo!" Sakura said softly. Tomoyo looked at her, and then at Eriol.  
  
"Some of us…went through a little change when we came here. Don't ask, I'll explain later!" Eriol whispered. Tomoyo nodded, and looked at Sakura, smiling.  
  
"You look so kawaii in that gown, Sakura-chan!" She squealed, hugging the little girl. Sakura giggled.  
  
"You pretty as well!" She commented.  
  
'Our vocabulary really sucks!' Syaoran commented.  
  
'Syaoran! I'm doing the best I can!' Sakura retorted.  
  
'We all are doing the best we can.' Eriol stated. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his shoulder.  
  
"I know you…but who are they?" Asked the handsome boy. Eriol turned around and frowned. He had felt this aura before!  
  
"Tryon?!"  
  
"In the flesh! Literally!" Tryon laughed, poking his arm. Everyone stared at him in shocked silence. This Tryon was not blue-white, and ghost- looking! This Tryon looked just like a mortal person! He had sun-bleached blonde hair, cut Pageboy style, and sparkling blue-green eyes.  
  
"Tyron, is Landon like you?" Naoko asked. Tryon grinned.  
  
"Of course I am!" Came Landon's voice, and the boy appeared behind his brother. Landon had changed as well. He now had strawberry-blonde hair, and warm green-gray eyes.  
  
'How come you got to stay your own ages?' Syaoran asked bitterly. Tryon smirked at him.  
  
'We're just lucky!' He answered. All through this conversation, none of the group noticed that they were now the center of attention.  
  
"Really Derrick! And I thought that you had no friends!" Came another voice. The group looked up in shock, to see a boy that looked exactly like Eriol, except without the glasses. Eriol looked up at him calmly.  
  
"You are behind the times, old man! I have plenty of friends." Eriol commented, putting Sakura down and offering his arm to Tomoyo. She took it, and blushed.  
  
"I see that you get all the beautiful girls as well!" Raynar commented. "And what is the meaning of calling each-other those funny names?" He asked. Sakura stepped forward and gave him a cute, heart-warming smile.  
  
"Pet names!" She quipped, taking Syaoran's hand. He smiled at her.  
  
"Yes…pet names. We thought that they were nice, so that is what we call each-other now." Eriol explained. Sakura then looked up at Ying-fa. The older girl had recovered from her shock, and was smiling down at the cute scene below her.  
  
"Ying-fa, my Syao-kun is here now!" She called, pulling Syaoran forward with a triumphant smile. Ying-fa looked at Syaoran, and smiled.  
  
"So you are 'Syao-kun'! Well, it is very nice to meet you!" She commented, walking down the stairs and shaking Syaoran's hand. The little boy eyed her, and then gave her a small smile.  
  
"You're nice." He commented. Ying-fa gave a delighted laugh and then turned to the orchestra.  
  
"Music please!" She called. They complied almost instantly.  
  
'Now how has the bad vocabulary, Syaoran?' Nora teased.  
  
'Yah! 'You're nice'? What kind of greeting is that?' Tryon asked.  
  
'Oh, stop teasing him. Now come on! I want to show you the gardens!" Sakura said, leading the group out of the room and into the gardens.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	11. They start getting a clue and Nora's nig...

Daphne: "HI!!!! Oh, it's good to be back! I am so happy to be writing again! I actually went on the Internet at Aunt Seifa's. Out of all my aunts, I personally think that she is the calmest of the group! Anyway, I went on and read all of your reviews for my stories. Thank you all soooooooooooo much!!!!!!!!!! I really loved reading them, and my cousins were so jealous of me! (Hehehe! Evil me!) Anyway, here is the next chapter, and I hope that you like this one!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 11.  
  
  
  
'Why do you think that we changed ages, Eriol?' Sakura thought/asked later, when they had been in the gardens for a few minutes.  
  
'I don't know…but someone definitely didn't want us here. It is obvious, because they made both you and Syaoran young, and you two are the only ones with magic, besides me.' He answered.  
  
'That doesn't make any sense! They then, did they not change you as well?' Syaoran asked.  
  
'I think that they tried to; Naoko, however changed instead of me.' Eriol explained.  
  
'They made another mistake. They allowed us to appear near our other forms, therefore helping us a little.' Eriol continued.  
  
'How?!' Tryon asked.  
  
'It's simple. Whatever is going to happen, is going to happen to them…right? So by being near them, we can protect them easier.' Eriol finished.  
  
'Aha! So now they will have a harder time achieving their goal…which has something to do with hurting Syaoran and making Sakura and Nora scared.' Tomoyo said. Sakura sighed and pulled the Star key out of her dress.  
  
'Yes, but how can we protect them if I have no control over the Star Key, and Syaoran can't summon his sword?' She asked, bringing up a good point. Eriol sighed.  
  
'We have to do something. I will protect them until you figure out a way to change back into your original age.' He said. Everyone nodded.  
  
'But how?' Naoko asked.  
  
'Have you tried the Big Card, Sakura?' Tomoyo asked.  
  
'No…'  
  
'Then try it! Maybe it will work!' Tomoyo exclaimed.  
  
'All right.'  
  
'Oh Key of my star  
  
With powers burning bright  
  
Surrender the wand, the force ignite!  
  
Release!'  
  
Nothing happened.  
  
'Release!' Still nothing.  
  
'No! Whoever did this has blocked our magic as well! How is this possible?' Eriol gasped.  
  
'I don't know…' Sakura whimpered, tears falling down her face.  
  
'Sakura, don't cry! It will be all right! We will defeat this…thing…somehow.' Syaoran soothed, pulling her close and hugging her.  
  
'Um, guys? I think that we had better get back to the castle. It is getting late and they are going to start looking for us.' Tryon suggested. Nora groaned.  
  
'But I'm to tired to walk! I want to go to sleep!' She whined.  
  
'Me too!' Naoko agreed. Everyone but Syaoran and Sakura looked at them in astonishment.  
  
'What is the matter with you two? It isn't even nine 'o' clock yet!' Landon complained. Syaoran frowned.  
  
'If you haven't forgotten, we are stuck in younger bodies, and those bodies need rest! Technically, we are only four years old.' He reminded them.  
  
'Oh yah, I forgot.' Tryon sighed.  
  
'I don't think that I can walk…' Nora whisper/thought, her eyes drooping.  
  
"We need to get them back to the Palace, quick. Tomoyo, you carry Sakura, Landon, you carry Naoko, Tryon, you carry Nora, and I'll carry Syaoran." Eriol said, picking Syaoran up. The young boy didn't even complain. The others did as they were told, and they quickly made their way back to the Palace.  
  
"I think that we should just sit out here until they are finished." Eriol suggested, sitting on a stone seat that was placed at the edge of the verandah. It was positioned so they could see into the ballroom easily, and keep an eye on their older forms.  
  
"Look! That is my past form, Colton." Tryon whispered, pointing at a young man dancing with a girl…  
  
"That is Aya!" Tomoyo gasped. Tryon turned red and looked down at the little girl in his lap. Nora was snuggled up to him, and her pale cheeks were tinted red with sleep. She gave a tiny, baby-like moan and moved closer to him. He sighed and gently stroked her hair.  
  
"There is Landon's past form, Drian." Eriol commented, eyeing the older boy who was dancing with Naoko's past form, Rina. Landon looked down at his burden and smiled.  
  
"There you are, Eriol, talking with…a really beautiful girl. She sort of looks like Tomoyo…" Landon grinned, as he watched Tomoyo and Eriol look at each other, and then turn away, blushing.  
  
"She is a servant…like me." Tomoyo whispered. Eriol glared at her.  
  
"She is no more a servant than you are!" He defended. She gave him a weak smile, and then looked away.  
  
"Who is that dancing over there?…Oh my gosh! It's Micha and Marcy! I can't believe it! She never said anything about liking him…" Tomoyo breathed.  
  
"Do you see the way that he is looking at her? It is obvious that he is smitten!" Landon crowed.  
  
'Boy, will I have something to tease Touya about when I get home.' Sakura thought/spoke tiredly. She had obviously been woken up by their voices.  
  
"Go back to sleep, Sakura. You need to sleep." Tomoyo soothed, leaning over her charge.  
  
"Tired. Sleep now." Sakura mumbled in her baby-like voice. Everyone smiled and then turned their attention back to the dancers.  
  
"So how are Kahnu, and Rinyah?" A soft voice asked behind them. Immediately, everyone, including the four-year-olds, were alert.  
  
"They are just fine. Oh! Akita is having her second litter soon!" Another voice answered. Naoko gasped.  
  
'That is what I named my wolf pup!' She thought in a strangled voice.  
  
"OH! Rina will be so pleased! We will visit them frequently while we are there, will we not?" The first asked. Sakura immediately identified this voice as Ying-fa's.  
  
"Of course! I couldn't possibly keep you from Honey." The other answered. It was Xiao-lang. Syaoran caught his breath.  
  
'So our wolf friends really *are* the reincarnated forms of these ones! Which means that the ones back home are our pack-mates!' He stated.  
  
"Ohhhh!" The group chorused outloud, drawing the attention of the two older people.  
  
"What?!…Oh, Lilly! What are you doing out here?" Ying-fa scolded. Sakura simply sent her an irresistible smile.  
  
"You love him! I love my Syao-kun as well. You LOVE him!" She emphasized the 'love' part, and eyed Xiao-lang.  
  
"We not what we seem." Sakura stated, her little face going serious. Tomoyo nudged her, but little Sakura did not listen.  
  
"Come along, Lilly! It is time for bed!" Ying-fa commanded, her face flushed. Sakura's face drooped and little tears fell down her cheeks.  
  
"NOOOO! I want my Syao-kun with me! An' Nowa, an' evewybody!" Sakura pouted, throwing her arms around Tomoyo's waist.  
  
'Hey! If I am going to play it up, I am going to play it up well!' She thought to the others.  
  
"Perhaps would be best if we take them to bed." Tomoyo suggested, standing up and motioning to the others to follow. Ying-fa and Xiao-lang stared after them in astonishment, but did nothing to stop them.  
  
'Up the stairs and to the right.' Sakura thought/mumbled, already getting sleepy again. Naoko was already asleep, and Nora was whining about not wanting to leave the others. Syaoran was silently watching their progress, memorizing every twist and turn they made. Tomoyo finally found, and opened Sakura's bedroom door and led them all in.  
  
"Nigh' Night." Sakura murmured in a baby voice, her eyelashes brushing against her pink cheeks as she fell asleep. Tryon gently laid Nora next to her. Nora gave a sleepy moan and then turned over, unconsciously clasping Sakura's hand for comfort. Syaoran quickly climbed out of Eriol's arms and fell into bed beside Sakura, his eyes drooping with exhaustion. Finally, Landon laid Naoko down beside Nora and then covered them all up with the warm comforter.  
  
"What are we going to do now?" Tryon asked.  
  
"Well, I think that the best thing that we can do is stay with them. Landon and Tryon will sleep on either side of them, and Tomoyo and I will sleep at the end of the bed." Eriol said. (a/n: The bed is VERY wide, so it can hold that many people in it. Trust me! I have seen some beds that could fit a whole army on them!! Ok, so I am exaggerating a little bit, but I really *have* seen some enormous beds.)  
  
"All right, but…what are we going to tell everyone?" Tomoyo questioned. "After all…I am just a servant…"  
  
"You are NOT just a servant!" The three boys shouted at her. She blushed but said no more about it.  
  
"Now, we had better get to sleep. If you haven't forgotten, we do have a long trip tomorrow." Eriol stated, indicating the trip to the Palace of the Wolves. Everyone nodded and did as they were told. Soon, the whole exhausted party fell asleep.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What on earth just happened?" Aya asked, her eyes watching the retreating figures. Xiao-lang frowned.  
  
"I don't know. Something fishy is going on here!"  
  
"What do you mean?" A voice asked. The two turned around in surprise, to see Lord Victor and Rina stroll onto the verandah.  
  
"Yes, what?" Asked another voice, this time it was Aya and Micha who appeared, followed closely by Ellis, Lucas, Dedra, and Marcy.  
  
"I mean, that something is not right! How could they possibly know each- other if they have never met?" Xiao-lang pointed out. The others realized that he was right.  
  
"This *was* supposed to be their first meeting…" Aya hesitated.  
  
"I am curious. First, Derrick acts like a loner, but all of the sudden, he pops up with all these new friends, some of which, may I remind you, are quite a bit younger than the rest." Ellis pointed out. It was Micha, who noticed that Marcy was becoming uncomfortable.  
  
"What is the matter, Marcy?" He asked. She blushed and looked away.  
  
"No…nothing, sire. I…I was just thinking how strange it was that you are oblivious to all the obvious. But…then again…to you it may not be quite as obvious…" She murmured walking away. Everyone was staring after her, a look of astonishment on her face.  
  
"Why do I get the feeling that she knows something we don't?" Micha asked. Ying-fa shifted uncomfortably.  
  
"I…I think that we should go and check on Lilly. I have…a feeling that something isn't right." She whispered. They all looked at her in alarm and then quickly made their way up to the little princess's room, unaware that they were being watched.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You are mine, Aya! All mine! And there is nothing that your future forms can do about it!" A voice hissed.  
  
"And when you finally claim her as yours, you will allow me the pleasure of claiming Princess Ying-fa as mine." Another voice sneered.  
  
"All in good time, my friend, all in good time." The first murmured in a slithery voice. Evil black eyes searched through the darkness.  
  
'All in good time.'  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Shhh! She will hear us!" Ying-fa hissed.  
  
"None of us said anything!" Rina whispered back. Ying-fa looked sheepish.  
  
"I was just warning you." She retorted, quietly opening her little sister's chamber door and leading them in.  
  
"Oh my!" Ying-fa exclaimed, drawing back in shock. Everyone else looked over her shoulder and gasped. Lillian was in her bed all right, along with every other friend of hers! Princess Sora was beside her, and they were holding hands. Little Nira was on the other side of Sora, and next to her slept Lord Regen; They too, were holding hands. On the other side of Lilly slept Prince Symian. His arms were about her tiny waist, and she wore a contented look on her sleep-flushed face. On his other side slept Lord Tarnor. At the end of the bed, Prince Derrick could be seen sleeping. His arms were about the beautiful Trista, who was sleeping peacefully at his side.  
  
"Well who would have thought!" Ellis whispered, looking down at his little brother in wonder.  
  
"They look so…peaceful!" Aya breathed. Dedra, however, did not seem pleased.  
  
"Oh, how could she?! She should know better than to…allow a Prince to hug her…I mean, she is just a servant, and…oh, what is she thinking?!" Dedra moaned in a distressed voice. Ellis looked at her compassionately.  
  
"Don't bother yourself over it, Dedra. I know for a fact that Derrick wanted to hold her. I don't know how I know, it is just a feeling." He whispered. Suddenly, little Sora moaned and began to cry softly.  
  
"NO! Please don't hurt them! I'll do anything you want, just leave Xiao- lang alone! Ying-fa, run!" The little girl shrieked in a voice very un-like her own. The group of older people quickly shuffled into the shadows as the little girl continued to cry and beg for help. Suddenly, Lord Tarnor sat up and looked over at the little girl, his blue eyes wide and worried.  
  
"She's having that dream again!" He mumbled, loud enough for them to hear. He quickly climbed over the other sleeping forms and put his arms around her.  
  
"Shhh, Nora! It's all right! It is only a dream. Oh, Ellanora!" The boy suddenly moaned. He buried his face in her shoulder, and rocked her until she fell asleep. When his finally raised his head, there were tears on his face. He was obviously worried, and he wasn't the only one. They waited until he had fallen asleep again, and then they came out of hiding.  
  
"Something is definitely wrong, and I want to know what it is!" Xiao-lang hissed.  
  
"Tarnor never cries! And did you happen to catch what he said? That she was 'having that dream again'! How would he know what dream she was having?" Lucas asked. Everyone looked uncomfortable.  
  
"I think that we should keep a good eye on them when we go to your Palace tomorrow. I don't want anything happening that we don't know about." Ellis said, and everyone, after agreeing, left the room to prepare for bed. Little did they know just how much they were missing!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Daphne: "Hi!!!! I hope that you enjoyed it! I am sorry that it was so short, but I am sick and I need to rest. Anyway, I really want to thank all of you for reviewing, and please review again! 


	12. Danger hits Home...or Meiling and Touya!

Daphne: "Hi! I don't have much time so I am going to hurry with this! I just want to tell you that I really appreciate your reviews, and I have decided to take some of your advice. This chapter is mainly (but not all) going to be about Meiling and Touya…a couple that I simply adore! They come in a close third after S+S and T+E!!!!!! Anyway, I hope that you will enjoy this chapter, and please review!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 12.  
  
  
  
*In the Present time*  
  
"I can't stand it! They have been gone too long!" Touya raved, pacing around his room. Meiling was sitting on his bed, looking helplessly at him.  
  
"But Touya, you read the inscription! They went to…do something. It must be important…" She started.  
  
"I don't care!" He moaned, collapsing on his bed next to her. "I just want my sister back and Tomoyo. Heck, even a glare from the gaki would be worth the wait!" He admitted. Meiling grinned.  
  
"Boy, you must be desperate!" She giggled. He glared at her and she patted his shoulder.  
  
"Oh, Touya. I know that it is hard, but it is for the best…and we will be here waiting for them when they return…right?" She asked uncertainly. His shoulders drooped and a defeated look suddenly entered his eyes.  
  
"Meiling, I think…I think that you should try to leave the room." He whispered. She looked at him in confusion.  
  
"What on earth do you mean, 'try'? I will just 'do'!" She announced, going over to the door and turning the door handle. Nothing. It didn't budge. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Touya…what did you do?" She cried. He sighed.  
  
"I didn't do anything. I told you when they left, that something was wrong, didn't I? Well, here it is! They were not transported into the past for their own good, Meiling! They just fell into one of the most complex traps that I have ever heard of! And now, we are caught up in it too!" He hissed. Meiling turned pale.  
  
"So…you mean to tell me that we are trapped too?!" She shouted, her eyes widening in fear. He nodded.  
  
"But why would they want us?" She asked, her voice sounding panicky.  
  
"I don't know. We hardly know what is going on…let alone why they want us." He murmured thoughtfully, gently sitting her down on the bed. She buried her head in her hands.  
  
"So they are in danger, and they don't even know it. And we know, but we don't have any way of telling them…Oh, Touya!" She sobbed, burying her face in his shoulder. He gently stroked her back, and smoothed her hair down. When she calmed, she simply stared into space, not saying a word.  
  
'Oh, mother! Please help us!' Touya pleaded to his dead mother, hoping that she could hear, but he got no reply.  
  
"What are you thinking about?" He asked.  
  
"If only we had stopped them from going. Maybe we could have stopped this. This is all my fault! I should have done something!" She cried, her voice raising with every word. Touya moved away and looked at her.  
  
"Meiling…"  
  
"It's all my fault, Touya!" She shrieked, her eyes becoming wild with panic.  
  
"NO it's not!" He shouted, starting to shake her.  
  
"Yes it is! It is, it is!" She wailed, breaking into tears and collapsing into his arms, bursting into tears again. He held her close and sighed.  
  
"No, Meiling! This was no ones fault. Don't worry, everything will be…" Suddenly, a small cold hand covered his mouth.  
  
"Don't say 'fine', Touya, please!" She pleaded, her hands on the sides of his face, now. His eyes widened.  
  
"Meiling…"  
  
"Please!?" She whispered. He leaned forward.  
  
"All right, but…you…" He faltered, and then without further thought, he leaned forward and kissed her lips. She shuddered, enjoying the sensation. Her arms crept around his neck and his arms made their way around her waist, pulling her closer.  
  
"Aha. So I am given the pleasure of coming upon this cute little scene for the second time, I see." A dark voice broke in.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Good night, Ying-fa!" Micha said, hugging his sister. She hugged back and then hurried into her room. The young man then continued on to his room, lost in his thoughts. Suddenly, someone came rushing around the corner, and ran into him, knocking them both into the wall.  
  
"Ow! I am sorry! I wasn't watching…" The person faltered and caught their breath.  
  
"Quite all right…Marcy! What a surprise!" He commented, delight filling his eyes. The girl blushed.  
  
"I *am* sorry, Prince Micha, I…" At her words, he caught her shoulders and gave her a little shake.  
  
"Why the formal titles, LADY Marcy? Just call me 'Micha'." He insisted.  
  
"Oh, I couldn't…!" She began.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"It is not proper! I am just a servant and…" Suddenly, he pushed her against the wall and kissed her, quite unexpectedly. She gave a muffled gasp and tried to pull away, but his arms were around her waist, holding her tightly. She was even more shocked when she felt her lips respond to his. After a minute, they broke away, panting for air.  
  
"Oh! We shouldn't…" She breathed.  
  
"Don't you EVER call yourself that again. You are much more than that…to me; And I can do whatever I please! I don't care what anyone thinks!" He whispered, claiming her lips again. She moaned and twined her arms around his neck, completely forgetting their social ranks and the rules that kept them apart. For a moment, that is.  
  
"Now this is interesting!" Hissed a man's voice. The two quickly broke apart and Micha recognized the man as King Vandor, older brother to Princes Victor and Lucas. No one liked Vandor much, but they delt with him because they liked his younger brothers.  
  
"King Vandor, I…we…"  
  
"Why Prince Micha, I am surprised! You and a servant girl." The king sneered. Micha frowned.  
  
"I don't see how any of this is your business! Come, Marcy, I will walk you to your room." He said, leading Marcy away. The king chuckled darkly.  
  
"Oh, but it is my business, little brat!" He hissed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
*Back in the present*  
  
"Who are you?" Touya hissed. The man smirked.  
  
"What, don't you recognize me? Oh, that's right…you wouldn't!" He chuckled.  
  
"What do you want from us?" Meiling whimpered.  
  
"Oh, I don't want you, exactly…but I do need…bait!" He hissed, a black ball of pure evil energy forming in his hand. Both Touya and Meiling realized what he was about to do and Meiling screamed for help, but it was too late. The energy struck them with a resounding crash, and when it had all dissipated, the two lay on the floor unconscious.  
  
"Finally! Aya will be mine!" He spat, an evil laugh escaping from his lips.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	13. Are we being too obvious, or are they ju...

Daphne: "This is going to be short, because I have a load of homework to do! I just want to thank all of you for reviewing, and I want to plead with you to do it again! I need all the reviews I can get! Anyway, on with the story!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 13.  
  
  
  
  
  
'Oh! It is just the same!' Sakura gushed, as their carriage pulled up to the front of the Palace. It had been decided that the party take three carriages to the Palace of the Wolves. Two would transport the older people, and one would carry the younger; It was for that reason that Sakura, Nora, Naoko, Syaoran, Eriol, Tomoyo, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy all ended up in the same carriage. Tryon and Eriol had sat up by the driver, leaving Syaoran and Landon to keep an eye on the girls.  
  
'Yes, it does! It is almost uncanny!' Nora commented, as Tryon helped her down.  
  
"Race you to the gardens!" Landon crowed, taking off in the direction of the back of the Palace.  
  
"You can't catch me!" Marcy giggled to him, running down one of the paths.  
  
"Wheee!!!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon tossed her up on his shoulders and then ran with her.  
  
"Come on, Syao-kun!" Sakura cried, grabbing Syaoran's hand.  
  
"Get me, Wandon!" Naoko cried, running into one of the mazes, with the older boy following closely behind.  
  
"Oh, Eriol look!" Tomoyo exclaimed, pointing at a flowering plum tree. She sat down in the grass underneath it and sighed contentedly. Eriol picked a handful of the plum blossoms and then sat down next to her. He seemed to be making something out of them.  
  
'Everyone, I want to have some fun. I am going to call the wolf pack, here!' Nora called. In a few moments, the gardens were full of wolves, running around and playing with the children. Tomoyo watched in amusement as an older version of Rinyah knocked Nora to the ground and began to lick her face. Suddenly, she felt Eriol creep behind her and start to play with her hair.  
  
"Eriol, what…?"  
  
"Shhh. Wait a moment…almost…done!" He announced.  
  
"Eriol, what did you do?" She asked, patting her hair. He grinned and pulled a hand-mirror out of nowhere.  
  
"See for yourself!" He said. She took the mirror, looked, and gasped.  
  
"Oh, Eriol!" She breathed. He had somehow woven the plum blossoms into a net, and then twinned it through her raven-black hair.  
  
"Do you like it?" He asked hesitantly, almost wistfully.  
  
"It is lovely! Thank you. But…why did you do it?" She asked. A small smile appeared on his lips.  
  
"I like making you happy." He whispered, leaning over and kissing her. Her breath caught in her throat as she clung to his arms for support. His hands were beneath her elbows, pressing her closer to him.  
  
'Oh, Eriol!' She thought, as her hands raised to twine in his hair.  
  
'Yes dearest?' He asked in a teasing voice, his arms winding about her waist, pulling her even closer. Everything was perfect, and nothing could go wrong…  
  
"How DARE you!!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Tomoyo and Eriol broke apart, turning in shock to see a seething Dedra.  
  
"Trista! How could you?! You know our position. You have no right, you horrid girl!" Dedra cried, her face a mask of horror and distress. Tomoyo whimpered and pulled away from Eriol when she saw the other older people glare at them. Eriol, however, did not finch, but pulled Tomoyo closer.  
  
"Don't get mad at her. It was my fault, and it is my choice, just like it was Micha's." Eriol stated. Everyone stared wide-eyed at him, especially Micha.  
  
"How did you know about that?!" He hissed. Eriol smirked.  
  
"I have my ways, and no, I wasn't spying on you." He chuckled. Tomoyo sighed and pulled away.  
  
"They are right, Eri…Prince Derrick. I had no right, and I am sorry." She whispered, as tears filled her eyes. She covered her face and ran into the Palace, unaware of the stunned gazes that she was getting from everyone, including her close friends.  
  
"Tomoyo…" Sakura whimpered, running after her, the younger people on her heals. Tryon cast Eriol a sympathetic look and then patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"Talk to her later." He whispered. Eriol nodded.  
  
"Derrick, I had no idea that you were getting so close to her! You sure hide a lot of things from me." Ellis said in an offended voice. Eriol turned and glared at him.  
  
"Keep out of this. This is a lot deeper than you think, Ellis, and if you knew what was good for you, you would start being more alert and quit drooling over Dedra." He hissed, stalking into the palace. Tryon watched them leave and then cursed under his breath.  
  
"And what about you, Tarnor? Do you have anything you wish to shock us with?" Lucas asked bitterly. Tryon glared at his past form.  
  
"You are so lucky that you have no idea what is going on. If you did, I would be more than happy to knock your block off!" He snapped, stomping out of the gardens. The older people stared after him, their astonishment knowing no bounds.  
  
"First we come out and my little brother is kissing Dedra's sister. Then Derrick threatens me and Tarnor threatens Lucas. What next?" Ellis asked, throwing his hands up into the air. Aya stepped forward and pointed with a shaking hand.  
  
"That is not all. Look." She moaned. Everyone turned and a strange sight met their eyes. The gardens were being overrun with wolves!  
  
"This is Kahnu's pack! How on earth…" Xiao-lang gasped. Ying-fa petted Rinyah, who was simply sitting on a path, her tail wagging vigorously.  
  
"Oh my…what is this?" She asked, picking up what looked to be a piece of red ribbon .  
  
"That is Sora's hair ribbon! But…Rinyah never let's anyone touch her but me…!" Aya gasped. Everyone stared at each-other and a shudder ran through the group as they realized something.  
  
There was something going on…and it involved all the smaller children and a very big question. How could any of this be possible?!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I kissed him! I kissed him." Tomoyo kept repeating as Sakura tried to soothe her.  
  
'I though that it was sweet!' She commented. Tomoyo started.  
  
"Sakura, I am only twelve! I…shouldn't be doing things like that yet." She whimpered. Sakura giggled.  
  
'Oh Tomoyo, you are so silly! Syaoran and I found out that we were soul- mates when we were eleven! It is not big deal…'  
  
"But you haven't kissed him yet, have you?" Tomoyo asked. Sakura shook her head.  
  
'No. But…I am sure that it won't be long now, considering everything that has happened. Besides, Tomoyo. It is about time that you realized that you and Eriol belong to each other!'  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Tomoyo shrieked. Nora came into the room and giggled.  
  
'She is right, you know. It is all too obvious that you two belong to each other.' She commented, climbing up on the bed and laying down next to Tomoyo.  
  
'Oh, Tomoyo! Did he give this to you?' Naoko questioned, running into the room and fingering the flowers in Tomoyo's hair.  
  
"Oh, she is *sooo* kawaii!" Tryon mimicked, in a high voice. The girls turned to glare at him, only to find Eriol standing just behind him, looking at Tomoyo. The rest of the group got the hint, and quickly left the room. Tomoyo buried her head in her pillow, refusing to look up at him.  
  
"You know, we can't avoid the subject forever." He murmured in her ear, while gently stroking her back. She shuddered.  
  
'Why me?' She asked, her mind-voice trembling.  
  
'Because…I have always loved you,' he admitted, 'for as long as I can remember. I tried to forget about it by focusing my attentions on Kaho…but it simply didn't work. You always have, and always will be the first thing on my mind, and in my heart.' He promised.  
  
'I…I wonder…if we are like Sakura and Syaoran. Soul-mates.' She whispered.  
  
"I wouldn't doubt it." He admitted. She finally looked up at him and grimaced.  
  
"I have a feeling that our older forms are getting suspicious." She said, changing the subject. He grinned at her and nodded.  
  
"They are. I am afraid that we have been a little too obvious in our dealings with them; although, I highly doubt that they know the reason we are here. Who would believe it?" He laughed bitterly. She giggled.  
  
"When and if they find out…can you imagine their faces! I can see it now, 'Hi! We are your future forms, and not your siblings, as you thought…!'" She laughed. Eriol chuckled.  
  
'Eriol, Tomoyo! Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Marcy have agreed to look in the library to try to get some information on this place. We have been elected to make a diversion until they are done.' Sakura called, as she and the others in their party ran past the door. Tomoyo and Eriol looked at each other and grinned.  
  
"Fine…I am coming to get you, Nora!" Eriol shouted, bolting out of the room. Tomoyo laughed and quickly followed.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"How on earth did they find their rooms?" Xiao-lang asked.  
  
"I do not know. Perhaps they got a servant to help them." Ellis answered. Lucas and Victor simply looked at each-other in doubt.  
  
"That must be it. I…" Micha began.  
  
"Sora? Sora! Where are you?" Aya wailed, stumbling into the room. Sora's hair ribbon was still clenched in her fist.  
  
"What is wrong?" Xiao-lang asked in alarm.  
  
"I can't find her anywhere! And everyone is sure that they didn't see her enter the castle…oh, you don't suppose the wolves…"  
  
"EEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!! Catch me Eriol!" Shrieked a young voice. All at once, Sora came pealing into the room, with Derrick close on her heals. They were followed by Nira, Trista, and Lillian.  
  
"Trist, tosh' me up!" Lilly cried. Trista did as she was told, and tossed the little girl into the air.  
  
"Weeeeeeeee!" Lilly squealed.  
  
'Doing this makes me feel foolish!' Came a soft voice.  
  
"Who said that?!" Micha asked, looking around to see who had spoken.  
  
'Don't complain. It could be worse.' Came another voice.  
  
"Derrick, who are you talking to?" Ellis asked. Derrick/Eriol turned to look at him in astonishment.  
  
'Please don't say that! Anything but that!' Came a third voice.  
  
"Ugh! Trista, what are you saying?!" Xiao-lang yelled in frustration; The game of tag stopped.  
  
"I didn't say anything." She answered. Xiao-lang frowned.  
  
"I distinctly heard you say, 'Please don't say that…!'" He insisted. For some reason, Trista/Tomoyo turned pale and looked at Derrick. They stared at each other for a moment, and then turned to look at the older persons.  
  
"You were simply hearing things." She sniffed, exiting the room, the others following closely behind.  
  
'More like they were *thinking* things!' Giggled the same soft, sweet voice that had spoken first. Suddenly, Micha got a strange feeling and decided to follow them, not knowing what to expect.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Tomoyo rushed into the library, where Tryon, Landon, Syaoran, and Marcy were reading books vigorously.  
  
"Hey! I thought that you were supposed to be causing a diversion." Tryon commented, his eyes never leaving his book.  
  
"We did. A bigger one that we should have! They heard our thought/speaking!" Eriol explained, collapsing onto a chair.  
  
"WHAT?!?!" Tryon shouted, dropping his book and bolting out of his chair.  
  
"How are we supposed to communicate now?" Landon questioned, standing up from the table he had been seated at.  
  
'Yah! I don't want to have to rely on my puny vocabulary to communicate with you!' Syaoran hissed/thought.  
  
'I could cast a semi-permanent spell on them that would block our voices…" Eriol commented thoughtfully. Sakura sighed.  
  
'No. We should avoid doing magic at all costs…HOE?! What is that?' Sakura asked, her head turning in the direction of the double-doors. Eriol and Syaoran noticed that something was wrong, and Eriol quickly called up his staff. He said a quick charm, and the doors were blown open, revealing…  
  
"Micha?!" Landon exclaimed. Eriol groaned and waved his staff a bit. Micha was dragged into the room, and the doors were slammed shut. Micha looked wildly about and turned pale when he realized what had just happened.  
  
"Who…who are you?" He faltered, his eyes searching wildly for an exit; but there was none. Sakura sighed, and looked at their prisoner.  
  
'So much for my idea about *not* using our magic!' She commented, climbing into a big chair and clasping her hands in her lap, staring probeingly at him. He shook with fright.  
  
"Who said that?" He asked. Everyone in the room pointed to the little girl in the chair, and she gave him a cheerful wave.  
  
'Don't worry. We are not going to hurt you. Marcy knows, and she is just fine.' Sakura pointed a tiny finger at the black-haired girl standing in the shadows. Micha choked down a yell and closed his eyes.  
  
"This cannot be happening! It cannot be!" He mumbled. Tomoyo sighed.  
  
"But it is. And you are about to find out why." She warned. He opened his eyes and stared at her.  
  
"You see, Micha, the 'talking' that you and your friends heard a few moments ago was actually Sakura, Tomoyo, and me communicating through something that we call 'mind-talking'. We are able to communicate through our minds, and it was quite private until you started hearing it. Now we are in danger of being found out, and you must take the oath of silence." Eriol said.  
  
"Why should I?" Micha hissed, his fear gone. Sakura got off her chair and walked over to him.  
  
'Because if you don't, we all are in danger…brother!' She whispered, putting her hand on his shoulder. He edged away from her.  
  
"Why do you call me 'brother'? I am not your brother." He emphasized the 'your'.  
  
'Actually, you are…in a way. You see, you are my brother in the future, just like I am your sister now.' Sakura explained. Now Micha looked confused.  
  
"What?"  
  
"What she means is…we are not from this time. We are from the future." Tomoyo explained.  
  
"WHAT?!?! That is crazy!"  
  
'Not really, considering that I am both here, and…here at the same time.' Sakura commented, delighted to make him even more confused. (a/n: She is making me confused too!)  
  
"What she means is that…well, in the future, her real form is named Sakura Kinomoto. Here, though, her past form is Princess Ying-fa. You see, she is two people at once. Ying-fa is her past form." Landon explained.  
  
"Wait! Ying-fa? As in, my sister Ying-fa? Then does that mean that I am older than her in the future?!" Micha asked excitedly. Sakura frowned.  
  
'Only by seven years. And that also means that you…in this time…are dead!' Sakura retorted. This made Micha sober a little.  
  
"But that would mean that in the future, I am…eleven years old, just like you." He commented, looking at Eriol. Syaoran grinned slyly.  
  
'Not exactly.' He chuckled, refusing to reveal his real age. In fact, that was the one thing that the group had decided to conceal from their older forms; their real ages. Even Marcy was not to know about those until the last possible moment. Why? Well, they figured that the enemy that they were going to face, was going to be looking for them in their normal forms. Therefore, they had to keep them a complete secret.  
  
"And…Marcy, you knew about this?" Micha asked, looking sad. She nodded, and then hugged him.  
  
"I knew about it the first day that they came. Tomoyo told me." She answered. "I am sorry that I didn't tell you, but I too, have been sworn to secrecy."  
  
"And…you can all talk through your minds? To anyone?" He asked the younger forms. They all smiled.  
  
'Yes!' They chimed, making him wince and cover his ears. Then Sakura burst into giggles.  
  
'And you would never guess that two of us are ghosts! Or at least, they used to be!' She laughed. Now Marcy and Micha turned pale.  
  
"What? Ghosts?!" They chimed. Tryon and Landon grinned at each other.  
  
"That would be us! Long story, don't ask. Our past forms are Lucas and Victor." Tryon announced.  
  
"Urm…which one is which?" Micha asked. Tryon and Landon sweat-dropped.  
  
"I am Victor, and he is Lucas." Landon explained. Just then, there came a knock on the door.  
  
"Micha? Are you in there?"  
  
Micha sent a panicked look to Marcy and she grimaced.  
  
"We all are! We…were playing a game!" She called.  
  
"Oh…well, supper is soon! Wash up!" Ying-fa called. Everyone worked hard to stifle their grins, and they quickly did as they were told.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	14. Playing a deadly game

Daphne: "Hi, I am going to make this intro. short, because I have to go somewhere…"  
  
Kero: *CoughEli'shousecough*  
  
Daphne: I glare at him "So what? Anyway, I just want to thank all of you who have reviewed, and I hope that all of you will keep reviewing, la-de-da- de-da…so enjoy!"  
  
Kero: "Daphne, you are acting even more pathetic than your father."  
  
Daphne: *throbbing vain* "My father is not pathetic! He is great. You just don't like him because he calls you 'stuffed animal'.  
  
Kero: puts paws up in defeated motion "Fine! Whatever you say."  
  
Daphne: "Thank you! Now on with the story!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 14.  
  
  
  
"We're going to a what?!" Tomoyo cried, looking at Dedra in shock.  
  
"A ball! King Vandor has invited us to a ball at his palace tomorrow! It is not far from here, but…the younger children are not invited." At her last words, the four youngest group members started to pout; everyone, that is, except for Syaoran.  
  
'Why do I get the feeling…'  
  
'…That something bad is going to happen?' Sakura finished for him. Micha and Marcy looked absolutely furious.  
  
"I am not going! I don't trust him! Remember the last time he held a ball? He was simpering over Aya like there was no tomorrow, and I even heard him making a bet with his friend, the Duke of Orner. He bet him that before the year was over, he would have Aya as his wife, and he even promised the Duke that he could marry Ying-fa, if the 'plan' worked." Micha yelled. All of the older forms did a slow turn, and looked at him.  
  
"He what?" Xiao-lang asked in a deadly voice. Micha smirked.  
  
"You heard me. And I am NOT going to let Aya go there unprotected. I really think that we should stay home…"  
  
"No, that would simply make him even more determined. We have to go anyway, because it is not polite to refuse." Ellis pointed out, making the others nod. Sakura/Lilly began to cry in frustration.  
  
"Something bad! Something is very bad! I don't like him!" She wailed, crumpling to the floor and pounding her little fists on the marble tiles. Nora followed her example, and soon the room was filled with angry sobs.  
  
"They are tired! They have been through simply too much!" Dedra called over the noise. This made Eriol snort.  
  
"That is an understatement." He mumbled to Syaoran, who was looking worriedly on his soulmate, who was now being carried out of the room by her 'older sister'.  
  
"Come on. We should stay with them until this whole thing has blown over." Tryon said, as he picked up a very tired Naoko. Everyone nodded and quickly followed Aya and Ying-fa out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
'Are they gone?' Sakura whimpered later that night. Her little face was buried in a pillow, so she didn't see her friends nod.  
  
'Something bad is going to happen, and we have to help. They have no magic of their own.' She went on.  
  
'I agree.' Syaoran commented. 'We have to find a way to get there without them knowing.' He went on. Sakura sighed.  
  
'If only our magic would work. I mean, Eriol's worked that one time, but…ever since then, we have been powerless.' She whispered finally looking up. Landon looked thoughtful.  
  
"Wait! The wolves! Sakura, Syaoran, Nora, and Naoko can ride on them to the castle! I am sure that Rinyah and Kahnu will not mind." Landon said. Tryon sighed.  
  
"What about us, though?"  
  
"We can run. The king's castle cannot be that far away, and we can easily make it in time, if we leave now." Landon said. Everyone's eyes lit up and they all nodded in agreement.  
  
'Now, for the plan.' Tomoyo said, as they all huddled together.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"They're what?!" Marcy shouted, looking at Micha in shock. Micha grinned. They were standing in a secluded area of the ballroom, not far from where Ellis and Dedra were standing.  
  
"They are coming. Eriol just contacted me and they are about halfway here, now if we could only…"  
  
"Only do what?" Came a voice that they knew all too well. Both turned in time to see King Vandor make a sign with his hands, and then both of them were surrounded by a black bubble.  
  
"What?!" Micha shouted, pounding on the sides of it, but his words were muffled. They were, however, enough to get Ellis's attention. He gave a shout, and Dedra gasped in shock. Almost immediately, they joined Micha and Marcy in the bubble.  
  
"What are you doing?!" Xiao-lang shouted, causing the whole ballroom to go silent. Vandor stepped out of the shadows and smirked at him. Then, without a word, he put out his hands and a lightning-bolt struck Xiao-lang in the arm.  
  
"Foolish boy! You think that you can win Ying-fa, when she has so much more going for her?" He simpered, and pointed at Ying-fa, who was struggling in the grasp of…the Duke of Orner! Aya gave an angry cry and raced to help her friend, but Vandor bolted foreword and grasped her by the arm.  
  
"Not so fast my love." He hissed, pulling her close and running his hand down her back. Aya gave a horrified shudder and pulled desperately away. Ying-fa was getting the same treatment from the Duke, although he had gone as far as to kiss her neck in what he thought was a loving way. She, in turn, had screamed and smacked him across the face, forcing him to trap her hands behind her back.  
  
"Let them go!" Lucas shouted, throwing himself at Vandor. But the king simply laughed and suddenly, Lucas was on the floor with a knife in his arm.  
  
"NO!" Aya sobbed, as she watched Lucas wreath on the ground when Vandor shot another lightning bolt at his chest. The Duke was laughing like a maniac, watching this, and poor Ying-fa was slumping against him, in a near faint. Farther away, Xiao-lang was lying, near unconsciousness, as another lightning-bolt hit him full force. Both Lucas and Xiao-lang were close to unconsciousness, and neither had the strength to move from their positions on the floor. The black bubble had now spread, and was enveloping everyone in the ballroom. King Vandor looked around in satisfaction, and then began to drag Aya towards one of the open doors.  
  
"You are mine, now!" He hissed into her ear.  
  
"I don't think so!"  
  
King Vandor turned just in time to see a large white wolf throw itself at his chest, causing him to fall to the ground, and release Aya. The startled girl looked up to see Rinyah smiling down at her, with little Sora/Nora on her back. Another, honey colored wolf bounded over to the Duke, and shoved him to the floor, keeping its paws on the man's chest. Lillian/Sakura was grinning down at him triumphantly. Then two more wolves bounded into the room, upon which sat Symian/Syaoran and Nira/Naoko.  
  
"Good Akita." Naoko crowed, as she petted the black and white pup. Syaoran petted Kahnu and then climbed off his back. During this time, Aya and Ying- fa had jumped at the chance to escape the evil men's clutches and hurry over to Lucas and Xiao-lang. Soon after this, Eriol, Tomoyo, Tryon, and Landon came running into the room at top speed.  
  
"Good job!" Tryon crowed, pumping his arm up and down in a little victory dance. But it was cut short by a growl from Vandor.  
  
"Don't think that you can defeat me that easily!" He hissed, and then flicked his hand to make the black barrier cover Naoko, Tomoyo, Tryon, and Landon.  
  
"Watch out!" Eriol shouted, and he shoved Sakura, Syaoran, and Nora out of the way. The barrier raced past them, only missing them by a few inches. Then Vandor pointed at the barrier and made it translucent.  
  
"Now all your friends will watch as I destroy you!" He roared, and sent a deadly flash of lightning straight at Syaoran. Sakura saw this just in time, and pushed him out of the way. Unfortunately, the bolt raced past his arm, scouring it. Syaoran bit down a cry and then grabbed Sakura's waist and rolled with her, just as another bolt hit the floor where they had fallen. The honey colored wolf was now sitting on the unconscious Duke, and looking quite anxious for her friends. Rinyah and Kahnu had been pulled into the barrier so they could do nothing but watch as the four friends struggled to stay alive.  
  
"How can we do this?" Eriol shouted in frustration, as he and Nora jumped out of the way of another bolt. Vandor was laughing and his eyes were crazed-looking.  
  
'Wait! What if we were all to call upon our power at the same time?' Nora asked, dodging a bolt. Eriol sighed.  
  
'It is worth a try. Sakura, when I give the signal, I want you to summon the shield card. Nora, you will try your best to make a sort of plant barrier, and Syaoran, you make sure that you are close to Sakura, so if this works, she can transfer the fight card over to you, and you can use that. Sakura, if this works, transfer the Power and Wood cards to yourself and Nora, and I will do what I think best.' Eriol finished. Sakura, Nora and Syaoran nodded shakily and then they grouped together. Vandor smirked at them and pointed his hands at them threateningly.  
  
"Now!" Eriol shouted. All at once, Syaoran summoned his sword, Sakura summoned her staff, Eriol summoned his staff, and Nora summoned up a barrage of vines and branches. Eriol's face was a light of triumph, and muffled cries of victory rang out from behind the translucent barrier.  
  
"Fight, Power, Sword, Wood!" Sakura shouted. Wood went to Nora's side, while fight went to Syaoran's. Power and Sword stayed with Sakura. Vandor however, seemed to know what was coming next, and he held up a finger.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah! Not so fast! I have a few…guests that you may like to meet first!" He crowed, waving his hand. Sakura gasped and Syaoran gave a yell as another dark bubble appeared, and inside of it, two figures could be seen; Meiling and Touya!  
  
"Let them go!" Sakura shrieked, pounding her tiny fists against the bubble. Vandor laughed at her weak attempts to free her brother and friend.  
  
"Foolish girl! Did you really think that you could defeat me?" He hissed, his eyes gleaming with insanity. He began to move over to the horrified Aya, who was leaning over the weak Xiao-lang.  
  
"Wood, go!" Shouted a voice. Immediately, vines wrapped around Vandor until he was completely covered from head to toe. Everyone turned to see Nora with her hands out, her little chest heaving with exertion.  
  
"Eriol." Nora said calmly, turning away from the wreathing bundle of vines. Eriol immediately knew what she wanted, and he nodded. She quickly grasped Sakura's hand, and turned her around, so they were facing away from Eriol.  
  
"Now." Nora commanded. Eriol closed his eyes and pointed his staff at the bundle of vines. There was a sharp crunch, and then silence. Sakura stood, shivering, as she realized what had just happened. Syaoran was looking at the vines in horror, as were the rest of the people in the room. Sakura and Nora did a slow turn, and both of their eyes widened. The length of the vine was now covered in long, sharp…thorns; And the bundle had stopped moving. Eriol slowly waved his staff again, and the barriers disappeared, causing the ball guests to stumble out of their previous positions. Sakura shakily summoned the erase card, and erased any signs of both Vandor and the Duke. Then Wood, Power, Sword, Fight, and Shield returned to their original forms.  
  
"Sakura, use the Big card." Eriol commanded. Sakura nodded, and did as she was told.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
  
  
Daphne: "Cliffhanger! Sorry folks, but I want to make this at least one to two more chapters long, so I am going to cut off here. I am sorry that this took so long to write, but I am also trying to finish all of the other stories that I am writing…  
  
Kero: "Maybe you should start writing them one at a time?!"  
  
Daphne: *Sweat drop* "You're probably right! Anyway, I hope that you liked this chapter, and I will try to finish this and some of my others as soon as possible!" 


	15. The small become big, and explanations b...

Daphne: "No real intro. today, because it am a bit…*Cough!*…sick…*COUGH*  
  
Kero: Looks worried "You had better lay down, Daphne. The last time I saw symptoms like this was when Sakura was so sick, she could hardly capture the Clow Card…'  
  
Daphne: "No complaints here." I get into bed and fall asleep  
  
Kero: "Anyway, please enjoy this next chapter!" comes and lies down beside my head "Good night, Daphne."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 15.  
  
  
  
  
  
"Sakura, use the Big Card." Eriol commanded. Sakura nodded, and did as she was told.  
  
"Big Card, return us to our original forms!" Sakura cried in her little girl voice, pointing the heavy staff at the Big Card. A great wind surrounded the four little children, and the Big Card began to do its work.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Ying-fa stood shaking, when she saw what Sora and Derrick had just done; Or were they Sora and Derrick? Ying-fa was starting to have serious doubts. Poor little Lillian was shaking violently, and holding onto Symian, who was laying on the floor and tending to a wound on his leg. Then, to Ying-fa's surprise, Lilly got up and raised the staff that she was holding. It was pink, with a yellow star inside a circle. Ying-fa looked over at Aya, who had been tending her brother and Lucas, but was now staring at the little girl in shock. In fact, that was the only expression on everyone's face. Shock. Suddenly, the bundle that was Vandor, and the unconscious Duke, disappeared from the room in a pouf of wind.  
  
"Sakura, use the Big Card." Derrick commanded. Lillian nodded and then said something that made Ying-fa almost faint.  
  
"Big Card, return us to our original forms!"  
  
Suddenly, Lillian, Symian, Sora, and Nira disappeared in a gust of white 'wind'. Then the wind filled the whole room, and Ying-fa heard Lilly shout something else. All at once, the wind disappeared, and the four children were gone! Instead, at the head of the room stood ten chairs that resembled thrones. And in those ten chairs, sat ten young people, four of whom Ying- fa knew well, and six others that she did not.  
  
In the very center of the group sat Derrick and Trista, side by side. But they were in strange clothes. Derrick was wearing a dark blue tail-coat over a white shirt, that had the top button undone. His dark blue pants were longer than they were used to…they hid his ankles, and his feet were in some strange black shoes that had little-to-no heal. Trista was beside him wearing a floaty lavender dress, that had several layers to it. The sleeves were flared at the elbow, and ended just above her wrists. The neckline was rounded, and a bit low.  
  
On Derricks other side sat an older young man, about their age, with dark brown hair and brown eyes. He was in attire similar to Derrick's, except his was all black, except for the under-shirt, which was white. There was a girl next to the man in all black, who had black hair that was piled on top of her head, and she wore a dress similar to Trista's, except it was red and it had no flared sleeves. Next to this girl sat Regen, who was in attire just like the other men's, except for his suit was all white, accenting his blonde hair. There was a brown haired girl beside him who wore, of all things, spectacles, and her dress was white with gold brocade, and only had one layer. Her hair was pulled back with a gold ribbon, and she looked stunningly lovely, despite the spectacles.  
  
On Trista's left side, sat a boy with a red tail coat, and white pants with a red stripe up the side. His suit was edged with gold, and it was by far the fanciest of them all. The girl on his left side left all of them in shock for a moment. She wore a floaty, full-skirted pink dress, with alternating layers of pink gauze and light pink silk, making her look as if she were moving on clouds. The sleeves of the dress were short and poofy silk. The dress was edged in red boarder, and she wore a large star-like gold choker. Her wavy, shoulder-length auburn hair was pulled back with a single red ribbon. Tarnor sat on her left, and he was wearing an outfit similar to Derrick's, except he wore a forest green tail-coat and white pants. The girl on his left, though, caused everyone to stare, just as they had at the girl in pink. This girl was just a beautiful, with wavy, waist- length chestnut locks, and kind blue eyes. She was wearing a sky blue dress similar to the girl in pink's, except a thin sleeve of clear gauze came out from the puffy sleeves, and ended at a point at the base of her middle finger. Her hair was pulled into a half ponytail, and then the ponytail was braided into a crown-like design on top of her head, held up with light blue ribbons.  
  
For a while, all the crowd could do was gaze up in awe of these people, who were so familiar, and yet, so un-familiar. This was the point where the ten people began to move.  
  
"Heal Card!" The girl in pink cried, raising a staff just like Lillian's. Immediately, Ying-fa felt all of the wounds inflicted by Vandor and the Duke, wear off her body. There were gasps of astonishment from the crowd, and Ying-fa heard Aya whimper.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Derrick, what have you done?" Ellis asked in a deadly serious voice, gathering his wits. He, Marcy, Micha, Rina, Victor, and Dedra were all standing nervously in a group, eyeing the young people with horror. Aya, Ying-fa, Xiao-lang, and Lucas had bunched together for support, and were now moving over to their friends.  
  
Derrick/Eriol looked at Ellis with a sly smirk, and then he stood up. His chair was at the very center of the group, with Trista/Tomoyo on his left side, and Touya on his right. For a moment, all he did was stare at the group, but soon, his smile widened and he spoke.  
  
"I have only done what was needed." He said simply. This made Lucas snort, and Eriol's blue eyes centered in on him.  
  
"Have a seat." Eriol suggested/commanded, and the ten startled older forms were pushed backwards into ten seats similar to Eriol's.  
  
"Now, what we have to tell you, will be something that you will find hard to believe. But you must know. First, I will start by introducing all of us." Eriol motioned to the other nine people in the seats near him. Trista stood up beside him, and shot Dedra a defiant look. Eriol smirked at this, and gently took her arm within his own.  
  
"This is Daidouji Tomoyo, though you have known her as 'Trista'." He said, and Tomoyo's chin rose into the air a bit, giving her a regal look.  
  
"What?! But she is just a servant! How could she have two names?" Xiao-lang yelped, making Tomoyo smile slyly.  
  
"Because I am not really a servant at all!" She quipped, looking over at Marcy and Micha who were stifling giggles and chuckles.  
  
"Yes you are! How could you say otherwise?" Dedra snapped, making Tomoyo shake a bit, but she managed to keep her level gaze.  
  
"Listen to us, Dedra, before you ask any more questions." Eriol commanded, his voice calm but with an edge of steel. Dedra turned pale and gave a slight nod of her head, allowing Eriol to continue.  
  
"As I was saying, this is Daidouji Tomoyo. I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, also known as 'Derrick'. Beside me are Touya and Meiling, whom none of you have met, but…I am sure that the names ring a bell…" Eriol smirked, looking over at the shocked Micha and Marcy.  
  
"Beside them are Landon and Naoko. I believe that they are known as 'Regen' and 'Nira', here." Eriol then turned to his left side.  
  
"On Tomoyo's other side, at the far end, is Li Ellanora, and beside her is Tarnor. They are known as 'Sora' and 'Tarnor', to you." After this introduction, Ellis got the guts to speak up.  
  
"Why does everyone have last names except for them?" He looked pointedly at Landon and Tryon, but Eriol simply held up his hand.  
  
"All in good time. Beside Tomoyo is Li Syaoran, brother to Ellanora, and future ruler of Hong Kong. You know him as 'Symian'." At this, the crowd gasped, and eyed Syaoran with awe. Sakura moved closer to him in nervousness, and he gently took her hand and squeezed it.  
  
"And last, but not least, Kinomoto Sakura, whom you know as 'Lillian'. Cards Mistress and future wife of Li Syaoran." Eriol Said these last few words in a sly voice, making Syaoran and Sakura blush madly. Tomoyo was whispering quiet 'kawaii's', and Nora was simply beaming. Even Touya was forcing down a smirk, and Meiling looked simply ecstatic.  
  
"WHAT?! That is a lie! Symian, Lilly, Sora, and Nira are babies! Those…people could not possibly be them!" Aya managed to say at last. Eriol looked at his friends, and they nodded at him.  
  
"Ask Micha, or Marcy. They know. The only thing that we didn't tell them was that these four were actually a different age than what they seemed." Eriol announced. A cautious Micha stepped forward and looked at Sakura closely. His brown eyes met her green ones, and he grinned.  
  
"So…I am not so very much older than you…" He said, making Sakura laugh her high, sweet laugh.  
  
"Only by four years, dear Onichan!" She giggled. Marcy then walked over to Syaoran, and looked him in the eye.  
  
"So…you are my royal cousin! A pleasure to meet you!" She chirped, shaking his hand, and then looking over at Meiling.  
  
"Oh! I can see it! You are my re…" She stopped abruptly, realizing what she had almost let out. Eriol grinned at her and nodded.  
  
"There is another *small* little detail that we left out, that fits this whole story together…we are from the future. We came here to help you defeat Vandor and the Duke." Eriol explained. There was a resounding gasp, and the past forms nearly bolted out of their seats.  
  
"How is this possible?" Ellis gasped.  
  
"How could we think that you were related to us?" Dedra wondered out loud. At these comments, the ten future forms grinned at each other.  
  
"That, I am afraid, is something only Vandor could answer fully. But I can give you the gist. He was the one who pulled us to this time in the first place, so he could destroy us, and take Aya for his own." Eriol mussed.  
  
"But why would he want me?" Aya wailed. Nora stood up and quietly folded her hands in front of her. Her quiet presence caused everyone to look at her, and calm down.  
  
"He wanted you for four reasons. The first, was that from the moment he first saw you, he was infatuated with you. The second was that he wanted the power that your lands held, and he was willing to do anything to get them. The third was that he was jealous of his brother for taking your heart, and for you ignoring him." Ellanora explained. At the 'taking your heart', part, both Lucas and Aya blushed, causing their friends to 'Awe!'.  
  
"But what was the forth?" Ying-fa questioned. Eriol held up a finger and smirked.  
  
"That is the final puzzle piece. You see, the only reason that we were able to come here, was because…we are your reincarnated forms." He said calmly. For a moment, there was complete silence, but then…  
  
"WHAT?!"  
  
"You have got to be joking!"  
  
"How is that possible?!"  
  
"I don't believe you!"  
  
"Can you repeat that?"  
  
"Excuse me?"  
  
"Ok, now I know that I am going crazy!"  
  
"HOE???????"  
  
"I knew that."  
  
"Me too."  
  
At the last two exclamations, the other eight people turned to look at Micha and Marcy, who were grinning widely.  
  
"You knew?! And you didn't tell us?" Xiao-lang asked in a deadly voice. Micha smirked at him.  
  
"What were we supposed to tell you? 'Oh, did you hear the news? Our future selves are here, and they are protecting us from an evil man, whom some of you considered a brother'. You would have thought that we were crazy!" The boy exclaimed. Ying-fa choked back a sob.  
  
"So that is why you were so dead-set against us coming here. You knew!" She buried her face in Xiao-lang's shoulder and he pulled her close.  
  
"But…which of you is the reincarnate of whom?" Ellis asked, looking shaken and confused. Eriol sighed and then looked at his friends.  
  
'We had better tell them in an orderly fashion. You may also want to give some information about yourself, just for future reference.' He thought/spoke. Everyone nodded, and then Touya stepped forward.  
  
"I am Kinomoto Touya, age eighteen. My little sister is Sakura, and I am the reincarnate of Prince Micha."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
A/N:  
  
Daphne: "Ohhh, cliffhanger! Well, not really, but I have decided to stop here. The next chapter may be my last…*maybe*. I am not sure yet. I am sorry that I have not written for so long, but I was a bit sick…"  
  
Kero: *Snort* "A bit? You were hacking up a lung all week! It was the last week of school, and you just had to go and get sick, and miss all the fun days where you do nothing, but sit around and sign yearbooks!"  
  
Daphne: "HOE???? Who told you that we sign yearbooks the whole time?"  
  
Kero: "Eli. He was the one who told me everything there is to know about the last week of school when he visited yesterday, and you were still asleep…"  
  
Daphne: I cover his mouth quickly "Enough said! Anyway, I hope that you enjoyed this chapter, and I hope that you will review and tell me what…*cough*…you…*cough*…think…*Hackhackhackcoughcough* I fall to the floor and start coughing again  
  
Kero: "Well, Daphne is temporarily out-of-order, so we will end here!" 


	16. Rage, kisses, and going home

Daphne: "Hi, I'm making this short, because…I'm still sick!"  
  
Kero: Comes into the room with a cup of tea "Daphne! How many times has your mother told you to STAY IN BED?!?!"  
  
Daphne: I look guilty and turn away from the computer "A lot. Fine, I will go to bed, but tomorrow, I want to finish my story!"  
  
Kero: *Sigh* "Fine, but don't tell your mother that I said so, all right?"  
  
Daphne: "All right!" I drink the tea in one gulp, and then almost simultaneously fall asleep  
  
Kero: mumbling "Just like her mother!"  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
  
  
Palace of the Wolves  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 16.  
  
  
  
  
  
*Flashback from last chapter*  
  
"But…which of you is the reincarnate of whom?" Ellis asked, looking shaken and confused. Eriol sighed and then looked at his friends.  
  
'We had better tell them in an orderly fashion. You may also want to give some information about yourself, just for future reference.' He thought/spoke. Everyone nodded, and then Touya stepped forward.  
  
"I am Kinomoto Touya, age eighteen. My little sister is Sakura, and I am the reincarnate of Prince Micha."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
At Touya's words, Micha grinned and stood up straighter. Ying-fa was looking at him with a mixture of shock and amusement. Then Meiling stepped forward. It was obvious to everyone who she was.  
  
"I am Li Meiling, cousin of Li Syaoran, niece of Li Yelan, friends with Tomoyo, Sakura, and Naoko. Reincarnate of Marcy." Now this made everyone jump, and look at the servant girl, who was looking quite pleased with herself; Or it could have been the fact that Micha had slipped his hand into hers and squeezed it! Now it was Landon's turn.  
  
"I am Landon, brother of Tryon, reincarnate of Victor, and resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'." He grinned at his last statement, but other people in the room did not find it as funny.  
  
"I am Naoko, friend of Sakura, Tomoyo, and Meiling. Reincarnate of Rina." Naoko whispered, coming forward.  
  
"I am Hiiragizawa Eriol, reincarnate of Ellis, and reincarnate of Clow Reed. Don't ask, long story." Was all Eriol said, when Ellis began to ask his astonished questions. Then Eriol turned towards Tomoyo and winked at her.  
  
"I am Daidouji Tomoyo, daughter of Daidouji Sonomi, seamstress, and friend of Sakura, Meiling, Naoko, Li Syaoran, Tryon, Landon, and Eriol. Reincarnate of Dedra." Tomoyo blushed as Syaoran, who was next to her, gave her a nudge right after she said the name, 'Eriol'. Sakura was grinning into her hand, and shooting knowing looks at her friend. Then Syaoran stepped forward.  
  
"I am Li Syaoran, son of Li Yelan, and cousin to Li Meiling, future ruler of Hong Kong, *ahem* friends…" At this word, Syaoran winced, and Eriol smirked, "…of…everyone here, plus some. Reincarnate of Xiao-lang." Syaoran said, managing to avoid saying 'Eriol' and 'Friend' in the same sentence. Now it was Syaoran's turn to smirk, and everyone worked to keep their smiles hidden while Eriol glared at him. The Chinese boy simply shrugged and took Sakura's hand. She stepped forward shyly.  
  
"I am Kinomoto Sakura, sister of Touya and daughter of Kinomoto Fujitaka. Mistress of the Sakura Cards, and friend of…everyone here. Reincarnate of Ying-fa." Sakura finished. All her friends noticed that both she and Syaoran had left out the part about them being soulmates…  
  
"I am Tryon, brother of Landon, friend of…all, and also resident ghost of the 'Palace of the Wolves'. Reincarnate of Lucas." Tryon smirked, stepping forward. Nora stood up, but did not move to take his hand.  
  
"I am Ellanora, sister of Syaoran, daughter of Li Yelan, friend of everyone here, reincarnate of…Aya." She finished, her eyes meeting the stunned Aya's.  
  
"But, why are you all in groups of two?" Xiao-lang asked, noticing that everyone but Tryon and Nora were holding hands. At this, Eriol's grin grew.  
  
"Oh, that is quite simple. Although some of us refuse to acknowledge it…" He glared pointedly at Nora and Tryon, "…we are all soulmates." At this, Nora, Tryon, and all of the past forms fell to the ground in shock.  
  
"WHAT??!!"  
  
"Me?! With…him? No possible way!"  
  
"Someone kill me now…I don't mind dying a third time, I promise!"  
  
"You're kidding!"  
  
"Impossible!"  
  
"I don't mind."  
  
"Neither do I."  
  
Everyone looked over at Micha and Marcy, who were holding hands and grinning at each other. They were completely oblivious to the disgusted looks they were getting from Tryon, or the shocked ones from everyone else.  
  
"So…what you are saying is that…we…" Dedra said slowly, trying to straighten out her thoughts. But she seemed quite aware that Ellis was standing right behind her, boring holes into the back of her head.  
  
"What we mean, is that we didn't really have a choice in who we ended up with. In fact, it was you who made it for us. We were just lucky enough to find that we…loved the choices that you made." Eriol said, slipping his arm around Tomoyo's waist and holding her close. She rested her head on his shoulder and smiled up at him lovingly. Syaoran came up behind Sakura and wrapped his arms around her waist, burying his nose in her soft hair. Touya pulled Meiling into a hug, while she grinned up at him, her ruby eyes sparkling with happiness. Naoko put her head on Landon's shoulder and then eyed Nora, who was glaring heatedly at Tryon. He, in return, was smirking back, and before she could even blink, he had picked her up and marched out of the room, with her writhing in his arms. Sakura giggled, and Tomoyo did her little 'kawaii!', while the four boys grinned knowingly at each other. Naoko and Meiling gave each other high five's, and even their past forms had to smile at the antics of the two rivals/lovers.  
  
"So…I take it…we all end up…together?" Lucas asked, putting his arm around Aya, and causing her to blush, but look at their future selves with hope in her eyes. Syaoran grinned.  
  
"Yes…that is, of course, unless my sister and her…friend decide to kill each other first." He laughed, and as if on cue, the sound of breaking pottery ripped through the room. Meiling burst out laughing, and Naoko soon followed. Sakura and Tomoyo were giggling hysterically, and Syaoran, Landon, Eriol, and Touya had huddled together, taking bets on the outcome of the confrontation; for once, Syaoran and Touya were actually agreeing on something. They both thought that Nora would win. Across the room, their older forms were trying hard not to laugh, and also working out their own feelings at the same time.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
(Elsewhere, back at the Palace of the Wolves) *Remember, the palace is not far from King Vandor's castle, so Tryon *can* carry Nora that far!*  
  
"You barbarian! Put me down!" Nora shrieked, as Tryon carried her further into the castle. He was purposely getting them lost, because he knew that she had never had enough time to get a full tour of the castle, therefore, she could not easily find her way back.  
  
"Release me at once! I demand it!" She cried again, struggling harder, her legs kicking at nothing and her arms pushing at his chest. Still he gripped her tightly, moving further into the maze of hallways and rooms. Nora groaned in anger and pushed against him harder, not caring about her surroundings. Right now, all she wanted was to get away from the maniacal young man carrying her.  
  
"You forgot to say 'please'." He laughed, not even breathing hard from the extra weight.  
  
"Fine! Please put me down, you insolent hog!" She spat, making him grin even harder. As they passed by a vase on a pedestal, she kicked at it in anger, and it fell off, shattering into a million pieces.  
  
"Ah, ah, ah! Ze' lady 'as a very dirty mouth!" He taunted her, in a fake french accent.  
  
"I'll show you who has a dirty mouth, if you don't put me down this instant!" She screeched her eyes flashing angrily.  
  
"All right." He answered, his eyes sparkling mischievously at her; and before she could say another word, he had let go of her. She landed on soft cushions, that turned out to be a love-seat. As she looked around the room, her anger dissipated, and wonder replaced it. They were in a large room, similar to the ballroom, but on a higher floor and it was empty of anyone but them. The room had plush, overstuffed, chairs and couches along the walls, as well as some tables for refreshments and such, while the middle of the room remained clear of anything. Huge, arched windows bordered one side of the room from top to bottom, and the long, sheer white curtains that covered the windows were tied back, to allow the watery moonlight to pour into the room.  
  
"How did you know about this place? I don't think that even Syaoran knows about this room!" She managed to gasp out, her sharp words forgotten. She still hadn't moved from the sprawled out position that she had landed in. He carefully sat beside her (a/n: Brave boy!), and then looked around the room.  
  
"I found this room when I was still in my ghost form. I got a bit lost when I was playing hide-and-go-seek with Landon, and I found this room. I don't think that there is any other way here, besides the way we just came…unless, of course, you are a mountain climber." He smiled, and pointed out on of the windows. She looked and then gasped.  
  
"We must be up near the…fourth floor!" She exclaimed. He nodded. She looked out the window again and noticed that there was a balcony right outside it.  
  
'I wonder why I have never noticed it before?' She thought.  
  
'You just have bad perception!' He answered back in thought/speaking. She groaned.  
  
"You should have better manners! It is impolite to interrupt ones thoughts!" She chided, glaring at him, and starting to get off the love seat. He grinned and pushed her back down, causing her to become even more vexed.  
  
"Ah, ze' patient ez' getting restless! I suppose zat ze' doctor will have to perform some sort of stimulation to cause ze' patient to become kind to him again!" He said, his eyes never leaving hers. She shivered and tried to frown at him.  
  
"Nothing you do will *ever* cause me to be kind to you!" She snapped. He smirked, and then leaned down, so his mouth was right next to her ear.  
  
"We'll just see about that!" He murmured, his breath tickling her cheek. Before she could reply, his mouth covered hers in a warm, dizzying kiss that caused all of their senses to go numb. After a few minutes, he was forced to pull back for lack of air. Panting, he opened his eyes and looked at the angel beneath him. Her eyes opened and met his. She said nothing, but simply stared at him, her eyes slowly roving around his face, as though looking for answers.  
  
"So…did it work? Are you nice to me now?" He asked in a half wistful, half impish voice. Instead of answering, she simply raised her hand and touched his cheek.  
  
"I am only eleven. You are fifteen, so it is all right…but eleven?" She whispered, her eyes flooded with confusion. Relief and joy flooded his eyes and his lips covered hers once again.  
  
"Eleven is fine…if you are meant to be." He murmured back, gently caressing her face. A small smile crept onto her lips and her eyes brightened.  
  
"I suppose…" She whispered, pulling him back down and kissing him. For a moment, he was too stunned to move, but soon he relaxed and kissed back.  
  
Suddenly, they both felt something shift in the air and they quickly broke apart, looking around in confusion.  
  
"Tryon, look!" Nora was looking around the room in awe. It was now dusty and the sheer curtains that used to hang so beautifully were torn to shreds.  
  
"What happened?" He wondered outloud, looking around the room. Then it hit them.  
  
"Were home!" They exclaimed in unison, bolting up off the love-seat and hurrying out of the room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
(Meanwhile…)  
  
"Twenty dollars on Nora!" Touya said, pulling the money out of his pocket while the others looked on in amusement.  
  
"Five for Tryon…" Eriol began, but her was cut off by Sakura's shriek.  
  
"What's happening?!" She cried, stumbling over to Syaoran, just as something shifted in the air. All at once, the group of eight friends were dragged into another black hole, and the ballroom disappeared, only for another one to reappear a moment later, as all of them fell to the floor.  
  
"What…happened?" Syaoran asked in a slow, dangerous voice. Eriol looked around and smiled.  
  
"I believe that we have returned home, to our own time." He answered quietly looking around the empty ballroom. Everyone gasped and looked around.  
  
"But what about Nora and Tryon?" Sakura whimpered.  
  
"We are right here." Came Tryon's voice. They all looked over to see Tryon and Nora walking out of a hidden passageway, not far from where they had fallen.  
  
"So who won?" Touya asked eagerly. Nora looked at him in confusion, but Tryon grinned.  
  
"Both of us!" He laughed. Everyone fell over (anime-style), and then Touya turned to Landon.  
  
"You were right!" He laughed, handing the boy a fifty dollar bill. Landon grinned and pocketed it.  
  
"Now, we had better go and tell Yelan that we are back. She must be worried sick!" Tomoyo suggested, leading the group out of the room.  
  
"Then we will visit our pack-mates." Naoko said, making everyone smile.  
  
"Yes, then we will visit our pack mates." Eriol repeated.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
(Two weeks later)  
  
"Do you think that they will remember us?" Nora asked, petting Rinyah softly. She and her friends were in the clearing, playing with their pack- mates.  
  
"I do." Was all that Tryon answered, looking down at her. Her head was resting in his lap, and he was toying with her hair, as his pack mate, Miki, the wolf that had toppled him over on their first visit to the clearing, rested beside them. Miki was only about five months old, and was all gray.  
  
"Dedra looked so shocked when she found out that Ellis was her soulmate! I thought she was going to faint!" Tomoyo giggled, rubbing her pup's tummy. She had named her's Nina, and it was all brown, with a single spot of black in the very middle of it's forehead. Eriol was beside Tomoyo, on his stomach, scratching the ear of his pack-mate, Tarver. Across from them sat Sakura and Syaoran, who had their pack-mates, Aria and Kahnu in their laps.  
  
"You have to admit, though, it was good to get home." Landon pointed out, tightening his grip on Naoko's waist; she was sitting in his lap, while their pack-mates Yather and Akita rested beside them.  
  
"Yes." The others agreed.  
  
"Hey, Tryon? What are you going to do when we all go home?" Nora asked suddenly, sitting bolt upright. Naoko looked alarmed and looked at Landon for answers.  
  
"Oh, Syaoran's mother has kindly agreed to 'foster' us, until we can, as she put it, 'make it on our own in the world'. She even went to the elders for permission. They said it would be all right. She even got permission for us to go to Tomeda! So we will be joining your class as well!" Tryon crowed. Nora grinned and hugged him, while Naoko gave a relieved sigh and relaxed against her boyfriend once more.  
  
It had been decided that since the ten young people had created such a strong bond over the vacation, it would be unfair to keep Nora with her mother and sisters. So, under the promise of visiting them during every vacation, Nora had been granted permission to join her brother and friends in Tomeda. She, Syaoran, and Meiling would be sharing an apartment, and Tryon and Landon would be sharing the apartment next to them.  
  
As for their pack-mates, Yelan had listened to the whole story, realized that the children simply couldn't live happily without seeing their wolf friends, and then pulled a lot of strings to allow the wolves to go with the children back to Tomeda. They would be staying in a private part of the woods just outside the town, and the group would be allowed to visit anytime they wanted. At first, Naoko had wanted to take Akita home, but they had nixed that immediately. Plus, Sakura had added, she highly doubted that her father would allow her and her brother to keep two growing wolves in the house. It would be better for them to stay in the woods, and only leave when the group was taking trips back to China.  
  
"So…we still have three more days of freedom…how should we spend them?" Tryon asked thoughtfully, as they got up to leave.  
  
"Well, there is always the wedding chapel…"  
  
"ERIOL!!!!!!!!" The group groaned, starting to laugh, and they walked out of the clearing with their pack-mates on their heals.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The End!  
  
A/N:  
  
Daphne: "Yay!!!!!!! I finally finished this! I am so happy! I know the ending was kind of lame, but I had to end it somewhere. So did you like? Please review and tell me! Now…I have to go work on my other…*wince*…four stories that I am presently working on. Wish me luck!"  
  
Kero: *Snort* "Good luck!" mumbles "Your going to need it!"  
  
Daphne: *Throbbing vein* "What did you say?!"  
  
Kero: "Nothing! Nothing at all!" 


End file.
